Crazy Times
by Icy-Kitty117
Summary: Haruhi is in serious trouble! Can the hosts save her before it is too late? Who is the new guy interfering in Haruhi's life? Is he a friend or foe? Rated T for topic of child abuse.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey all! Just a quick note, this is my very first attempt at a fanfic, so please be patient. Also thanks a bunch to my Beta-reader! Kerilu95, you are so awesome!**

**Anyways, enough of that, please enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

There were so many people around. Despite that, she was still lonely. Her friends were being their usual animated, dramatic, crazy selves. The girls were talking to her about useless stuff. Again. Still. Going on and on about superficial problems. That mindless chatter was driving her insane. Why? Because she was still lonely. Not one of those girls was truly her friends.

_'Too much. Can't take much more of this...'_

Little did she know that there was one boy who HAD noticed her distress. After all the airheaded girls were, politely, forced to leave, one simple little sentence made her lash out in anger, hurt and confusion.

"Haruhi, the tea-set broken before club time will be added to your debt. That was worth about 30 000 yen, a piece. There was 6 pieces broken so that's a total of 180 000 yen."

She started shaking in anger. Her bangs fell over her eyes and a dark aura started appearing. The third demon has been awoken...

The others started to slowly back away from the fuming girl (masquerading as a boy). Only Kyoya and Mori still stood strong (?), but even Kyoya was slightly... disturbed ('cause face it, Kyoya Ohtori does NOT get scared. Ever.)

"That WAS NOT MY FAULT! YOU CAN'T KEEP ADDING THINGS TO MY DEBT AT YOUR LEISURE! Tamaki and the twins broke that set, so how about you LET THEM PAY FOR IT! I am sick and tired of always being treated as less than a person, a mere toy, someone to torture. I AM DONE! You are rich-asses, pay for your own STUPID vase and tea-sets! I AM LEAVING!"

She started stomping towards the door. Then as an afterthought she turned and said:

"AND DON'T EXPECT ME TO COME BACK!"

The door slammed as she left, leaving a few confused teenagers in her wake.

The twins were the first to break the silence.

"**What just happened?"** they asked in unison.

"NOOOO my precious daughter left! Mommy, how could you?" Tamaki started bawling and landed in a crumpled heap on the floor.

Hunny's tears started falling and he clutched Usa-chan tighter. "Whaa! Haru-chan! Why was she so angry? Whaa!"

Kyoya was only shocked momentarily before he schooled his expression. Clearing his throat he quickly excused himself, but Mori stopped him with a hand on the shoulder.

"Let her cool down first." Mori knew that Kyoya would go to Haruhi to find out why she suddenly snapped. He also knew that Haruhi didn't need more of Kyoya's reprimanding and infuriating comments.

Kyoya looked back at the tall, stoic senior. After a moment of contemplation he nodded. "Do you know what is bothering her, Mori-sempai?"

Mori could not believe that not even Kyoya of all people knew what was wrong, after all, Kyoya IS the Shadow king of Ouran High School. He supposedly knows everything. Staring at the younger boy for a second longer, he nodded.

"Haven't you been listening?" with that he turned, grabbed his bag and left.

Mori wasn't sure if what he thought was the problem, was really the problem, but he trusted his instincts; after all, it had never failed him before.

Back in the clubroom, all the hosts (minus Haruhi and Mori) were sitting on the couches, trying to figure out what could possibly have made Haruhi react the way that she did.

**"Why was Haruhi so angry? We didn't even bother her as much as usual today."** said the two troublemaking twins. They were talking in sync, as per usual.

"Did Haru-chan want some cake?" That was Hunny's solution for everything. CAKE.

"Mother! Is our darling daughter not being treated well by her classmates?" A panicking Tamaki asked Kyoya. Turning on the twins he started yelling "What did you two doppelgangers do to my daughter?!"

"Nothing Tono..." Began Hikaru. "...would want to know about" Kaoru finished his brother's sentence, both wearing identical Cheshire cat grins. This only aggravated Tamaki all the more.

"Well we do know one thing. Haruhi's sense of honor will make her come back to finish paying off her debt. She won't run from that." Kyoya was thinking out loud and trying to figure out what Mori could have meant. _Haven't you been listening?_ Kyoya knew that he was missing something, the only question was WHAT? What was he missing?

Mori was walking towards Haruhi's house. He had (wisely) refrained from taking his limo to her humble home. Walking past a park, he saw Haruhi sitting on one of the swings. Alone. Her bangs were covering her face and her bag was discarded to the side.

Softly sighing in relief, Mori walked over and sat on the swing next to her. He was way too big in stature to be comfortable on the child's swings, but sat down anyway. Lightly moving back and forth, Mori watched Haruhi as she sat still and silent on the swing next to him.

Haruhi knew he was there. She felt rather than saw him coming over. He had such a strong presence that even she could feel it. She felt his eyes on her as the swing softly squeaked with his gentle movements. Maybe she could tell him. He would understand, right? Or maybe not, after all, he still had both of his parents and a younger brother, as well as a cousin who was with him almost 24/7. What would he know about this loneliness that she was currently feeling?

But then again, he could just listen. He was good with that; listening that is. He was always so quiet during host club, but Haruhi knew that he talked more when he was comfortable. She saw it. Only once, but nevertheless, she saw it. She knew he had his reasons for being so quiet at school. It was mostly because Hunny-sempai talked enough for the both of them, his hyperactive personality making it unnecessary for Mori-sempai to talk much.

"Haruhi," the sound of her name coming from the gentle giant brought her out of her musings. She looked up to show that she was listening. His clear grey eyes were staring intensely at her when she looked up, as if he was searching for answers in her eyes.

He saw the struggle in her big brown orbs. It was not a struggle that he was familiar with, but he was willing to listen and assist her if he could.

"Do you want to talk?" he was a man of few words usually. He could see her contemplating his offer, thinking it over. Her eyes said that she was willing to talk. She slowly nodded.

"Alright."

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><p><strong>Edited: 3-27-2016<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey y'all! I'm glad to see an interest so quickly! Thanks to all the quick reviewers!**

**Oh, and I forgot the disclaimer... I do not own Ouran Highshool Host Club! AT ALL, other wise there are some hosts I would have kept for myself *creepy laughter***

**Thanks again to Kerilu95 for being my beta-reader!**

**Here is chapter 2, please enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

"Before I begin, I just have a few questions. Are the other hosts here?" Haruhi did not want the others to know. They would just stretch the whole thing out of proportion or try to help, but will only make things worse.

Mori could understand why Haruhi would not want the others around. He also liked his solitude from time to time, despite Hani being a nearly-constant companion. And the others have too much of a flare for dramatics.

He shook his head, "I came alone. It seemed like you could use a friend" he said the last part softly, not wanting her to think that he had ulterior motives of some kind. He really only wanted to be there for her. She had looked so depressed earlier, during club time.

"Good, I wouldn't want the others to know what I am about to tell you." Thinking for a moment, Haruhi stood up, grabbed her bag and motioned for Mori to follow. He gladly obliged.

They walked the short distance to Haruhi's apartment. Once inside, Haruhi locked the door and all the windows. This out-of-the-ordinary behavior bothered Mori slightly, but he didn't say anything; it was not his place to.

"Next question: Will you promise not to tell anyone what I am about to say? That also includes Hani-senpai." Haruhi stood in front of Mori with her bangs once again covering her face. She knew that she was asking a lot to ask Mori to keep a secret from Hani, but Hani might spill the secret by accident. She simply couldn't risk it.

Mori stared at the girl in front of him for a while. Keeping a secret from Hani? Could he really do that? He and Hani were practically joined at the hip and did not keep secrets from each other. Looking at Haruhi, he could tell that she really needed to talk to someone, and she was willing to trust him. For that reason alone, he would keep her secret from even his best friend and cousin.

"I promise."

That was all it took. Haruhi almost immediately broke down when he made the promise. Her bangs were still covering her eyes, but she could no longer suppress the shaking of her shoulders. Mori's eyes widened slightly at the VERY rare sight of Haruhi crying. She was always so strong and seemed so unflappable, yet here she was crying like her world was coming to an end.

Careful not to over-step his bounds, Mori gently pulled Haruhi into a light hug. But the moment that she felt his arms around her, she grabbed Mori in a death-grip.

"Haruhi?..." Mori was at a complete loss as to what he should do, so he only held her while she cried, trying to recompose herself.

After what felt like hours, Haruhi finally calmed down enough to disentangle herself from Mori's arms. Immediately she missed the warmth that his arms provided, but she had no clue why that could be, so she blocked the confusing thoughts from her mind.

More than a little embarrassed, Haruhi stood back and quickly wiped her eyes. Mori let her go, trying to check her eyes to see if she was okay or at the very least feeling a little better.

In an attempt to regain her composure, Haruhi asked Mori if he wanted some tea. Mori caught on to the fact that she was embarrassed about breaking down, so he accepted her offer and went to sit down in the living room. A few minutes later Haruhi had regained her composure enough to face her guest. She took the tea out to where Mori was still waiting patiently for her.

"I'm sorry for ruining your shirt." Haruhi said a little sheepishly. Mori gave a very small lift of the mouth, which could be translated to be a smile.

"I can get a new one." he said simply, because he knew what her response would be.

"Damn rich bastard." Haruhi mumbled. She sat there shocked for a moment at how normal she was interacting with Mori, despite the fact that she was extremely embarrassed just moments before. She gave him a genuine smile and a warm thank you. Mori was momentarily confused for what she was thanking him for, but when realization hit, he ruffled her hair affectionately.

"So, I guess you want to know what all the weird behavior is about." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. Haruhi sighed and then started.

_She told Mori some memories she had with her deceased mother. It turns out that the following day was the 10th anniversary of her mother's death. Thoughts about the time before her death had been assaulting her all week, that had made her feel very lonely, because she and her mother would always be together after pre-school for 2 hours, then Haruhi's father would come home and her mother would go to work. The day of the accident, Haruhi's mother (Kotoko) had gone to the store to buy Haruhi's favorite cookies to celebrate Ryuji's new job. Kotoko had been hit by a drunk driver._

Mori wasn't sure why Haruhi was telling him all of this, but he would listen to the end. He had, after all, made a promise to himself, that he would support Haruhi in any possible way. If the only way was to listen, then that is what he would do, even if he had to fight tears for the suffering of the small girl in front of him.

_Kotoko did not die on impact. She had been rushed to the hospital where she had been forced to stay for nearly 3 weeks. After the initial surgery, Kotoko had been stable, but because of a broken arm and collarbone, she had to stay in hospital. One week later she had a relapse. Infections in the broken areas had spiked a dangerously high fever. She had been delusional with fever for three days before she was stable again. The doctor had been very concerned about the severity of her fever, so she had wanted to keep Kotoko in hospital for the rest of the week. All was well until the day before Kotoko would have been released. Internal bleeding of unknown origin was occurring and made Kotoko very weak. Her last words to her five year old daughter were right before she went into the surgery that would claim her life._

_"Please take care of your Daddy, you know what a klutz he is. Haruhi, my darling girl, never let anything stop you from chasing your dreams. Never be afraid of failure, just keep on trying."_

Silent tears were running down Haruhi's face as Mori stared at her. He never knew that that was the kind of trauma Haruhi went through with her mother's death. Mori wasn't sure how to react, or even IF he was supposed to react, so he simply settled for putting his hand on her head. He knew that was not all there was to Haruhi's depressed state, so he waited patiently for her to continue.

Haruhi just sat there, concentrating on the big, warm hand on her head, to try and recompose herself. Again. She realized that she had just told Mori more than she had ever told even her father. Ryuji or Ranka as he was now known had never heard what Kotoko had told Haruhi just before the last surgery. Haruhi had always kept it to herself, silently taking care of her father. Now she had a very big decision to make, take care of her dad, or take care of herself. Haruhi was very reluctant to tell Mori of this problem, but she knew that she could trust him. That was the problem though, he is such a good guy, that he might want to help, then she would be dragging him into the whole mess.

What to do? What to do?

_'Can I really burden him with this? Can I really do that to him?'_

Haruhi didn't realize that her eyes were betraying her confusion, worry and pain to the man in front of her. Mori could see that Haruhi didn't want to tell him more. He could see that whatever was really wrong, is big, REALLY big. Did he dare get involved? Could he really handle it if it was something that he could not protect her from? He didn't want her to suffer alone, but his heart was very soft when it came to the little slip of girl in front of him. Steeling himself for whatever was to come, he gently prompted Haruhi to continue.

At his gentle prompt, Haruhi decided to just come out and say it, to spill it all and let him work it out for himself.

Haruhi was hiding behind her hair again before she spoke "I have to get married or risk my dad getting killed." 

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><p><strong>Edited: 3-27-2016<strong>


	3. Chapter 3: the Problem Revealed

**Hey Hey! I'm back with chapter 3! Aren't you lucky? hehe Thanks to_ Sesshy's Rose _(Yes that's what I asked, so thanks!) Very big thanks (again) to my awsome Beta - Kerilu95!**

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><p><em>At his gentle prompt, Haruhi decided to just come out and say it, to spill it all and let him work it out for himself.<em>

_Haruhi was hiding behind her hair again before she spoke "I have to get married or risk my dad getting killed."_

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: The Problem revealed<strong>

Mori sat frozen, stupefied by what Haruhi had just revealed. _'What?'_ He blinked once, twice, "What?"

Haruhi didn't look up as she started explaining.

"My dad has a lot of debt with this one guy. He helped to support us for a long time after mom died. Even after Dad got the job at the bar where he works now, he had to sometimes borrow money from him. The debt just never stops. It's like what Kyoya-senpai does to me, he just keeps adding to Dad's debt without real reason. Since there is no written agreement, Dad can't go to a lawyer, because he won't have a case. The man came to me and offered me an ultimatum, either I marry his son and Dad's debt will be cleared, or he would hurt him, possibly kill him."

Haruhi drew a shaking breath, and took a sip of her long-gone-cold tea. Mori on the other hand was furious. How could you threaten a fifteen year old girl to take away the only family she had? Before he could ask how Ranka could possibly even consider such an ultimatum, Haruhi spoke again.

"Dad doesn't know that he came to me. He would rather get hurt than allow me to do something like that. He would try to confront that man, and that would definitely get him killed. The guy has yakuza connections - lots of them."

"By the way you're talking it seems as though you're considering actually marrying the son." Mori hoped against his better knowledge that he was wrong, but Haruhi's silence just confirmed his fear.

"How can I? He is nine years older than me, and is only interested in someone to have sex with whenever he feels like it. His father wants him to stop playing around, that's why he wants his son married - less than two months from now. But I can't let Dad get killed! He is the only family I have left! He wants my answer by Saturday." Today was Thursday.

Mori's mind was working overtime. He knew he had to do something. There was no way that he could let Haruhi throw her life away like that. He came to the most obvious conclusion, but one that Haruhi would not go for easily.

"I'll pay it."

Haruhi looked up with a deep frown on her face. A straight clear answer was on her lips.

"No. It is not your problem, Mori-senpai, it's mine. I will not allow you to get involved in this mess."

Her answer was final. Mori knew it won't be easy to convince her to allow him to help, but he knew that he had to stop her. Somehow. Despite the fact that they don't interact all that much at school or even during club time, he considers Haruhi a very dear friend, and someone he wants to protect.

"Besides, even if I let you pay my father's debt that would only mean that we will be indebted to the Morinozuka family."

"True, but my family will never put your father or you in a situation like you are now." Mori really did hope Haruhi would at least consider taking his offer.

"And what happens when we can no longer pay back what we owe? Besides, that guy won't just go away because he got his money. He is rich enough that our debt is merely pocket money to him. He wants either me or my dad. I don't know why." She muttered the last part more to herself than to Mori. After a few second of contemplation, she continued.

"Maybe he wants me, but knows that my dad would never allow that to happen so he would kill my father because he is my only family, thus forcing me to comply with his wishes." Haruhi's eyes grew wide at the realization.

"Dad!" She ran to the phone to call the bar where her father worked. Mori watched in concern as Haruhi went pale as she spoke. He immediately knew that something was very wrong.

Haruhi dropped the phone on the hook and started trembling.

"He left an hour ago." That was not good. It was only a twenty minute walk from the bar to their apartment. And by the look on Haruhi's face, Ranka did not leave with a friend.

Mori quickly got up and grabbed Haruhi's keys.

"Let's go." She didn't need to be told twice. She ran out the door the second Mori opened it, not even waiting for him to lock it behind them. Mori locked the door as quickly as he could and caught up with Haruhi. His long legs and athletic abilities made it easy to catch up.

Haruhi was frantic, her dad was her only family left after her mom died. She couldn't lose him too, not now, preferably not ever.

Mori was afraid of what they might find. He spared Haruhi a sideways glance and saw her pale, terrified expression. His heart bled for her, but he could not help her, if she did not let him. They reached the alleyway closest to the bar. Mori walked in first, just in case there were still thugs around. What he saw made him stop dead in his tracks. Ranka laid there in a pool of blood, with a very prominent head wound. Mori swallowed thickly and bent down to feel Ranka's pulse. To his relief it was still there, but very weak. He quickly got up and called an ambulance.

Haruhi came in as he was giving their location to the ambulance. Her eyes grew wide as she saw her father lying in a pool of his own blood.

"DAD!" She wanted to get to him, but Mori stopped her.

"He is alive, but very weak." He couldn't lie to her about Ranka's condition. As they were waiting for the ambulance, Mori called for a car. The ambulance showed up just as he ended the call to his driver.

Working fast, the ambulance men loaded Ranka in the ambulance and sped off to the nearest hospital without asking if one of the teens were family. That fact only made Haruhi panic more, because it meant that her father was in a critical condition. Not five minutes later, Mori's driver showed up and they were off to the hospital. 

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><p><strong>Ah, the clifhangers I hate so much yet love to use... I would apologize, but that would mean I am actually sorry for using it, so I'll compromise. I am sorry for loving to use clifhangers! *runs and hides*<strong>

**Just a special thanks to all my reviewers so far! Sesshy's Rose; Dramaticchick4thewin; JCardes; Hita-Chan; and of course, Kerilu95!**

**See/read ya'll next chapter!**

**Edited: 3-27-2016**


	4. Chapter 4: Pain

**Hey my dear readers! I'm back again! Thanks to the amazing Kerilu95 who had, again, Beta'ed this chapter!**

**Enjoy Chapter 4!**

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><p><em>Working fast, the ambulance men loaded Ranka in the ambulance and sped off to the nearest hospital without asking if one of the teens were family. That fact only made Haruhi panic more, because it meant that her father was in a critical condition. Not five minutes later, Mori's driver showed up and they were off to the hospital.<em>

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><p><strong>Chapter 4 : Pain <strong>

The waiting room was cold and empty. Haruhi was alternating between pacing and sitting like a statue. Mori could only watch her worriedly. He had called home to let his brother know that he might be home very late. He didn't give a reason.

Haruhi was pacing again. It had already been three hours, why didn't they hear anything? Someone must know something, right? She was starting to get even more panicked, what if her dad didn't make it? Where would she go then? She would have to leave Ouran and get a job, she won't be able to finish school, let alone become a lawyer like her mother.

Mori saw that she was getting more and more worked up, so he stood up and brought her into a tight hug. The second his arms were around her, she got him in another death-grip. She couldn't let go even if she had wanted to. Mori was currently the only stable thing in her world. He was getting more worried about Haruhi by the minute. She was extremely pale and trembling like no tomorrow. He knew that she was in shock, but did not have any idea how to help her. Seeing a nurse walk by, he called her over and asked if she could give Haruhi something for the shock.

The nurse looked at Haruhi for a moment before she nodded. Not long after she came back with a needle. "It will help her to calm down a little." she explained at Mori's confused expression.

The injection was just starting to take effect when the doctor came in. Mori recognized him as Yuichi Ohtori, Kyoya's eldest brother. Haruhi looked up with a question in her eyes.

Yuichi also recognized the Morinozuka's eldest son, but showed no sign of it. He turned to Haruhi "Fujioka-san?"

Haruhi nodded "Is he gonna be okay?"

Yuichi read the fear in her eyes and voice. He could tell that the news might break her, but he couldn't lie to her.

"Your father sported three broken ribs, which punctured his right lung, we had managed to fix the puncture though." He took a deep breath before he delivered the bad news "Your father has also suffered major head-trauma. He is currently in a coma and there is no way of knowing when and if he will wake up."

Yuichi watched as the young girl shrunk back from his words, she started trebling again. He knew there was nothing he could say or do to make the reality better, but he still felt bad as he watched the girl fall apart right in front of his eyes. Kyoya had spoken of this girl before, about how she was so strong and even stood up to their father. The girl in front of him now though, looked like a lost child, silent tears falling from her eyes.

"It looks like he won after all. Dad won't be coming back." Yuichi didn't understand her words, but it seemed like Morinozuka did. Her father had a chance to make a full recovery, but it seemed like she didn't think so. He wondered about that until she spoke again, giving him the answer.

"Mom didn't come back. The doctor said she would make a full recovery, but she still died. A hospital is a place of death." Haruhi's eyes were glazed over as she said this.

Suddenly Yuichi also understood her behaviour about her father's condition. Unfortunately in her father's case, it was true. His chances were very slim to make a full recovery. He could, but it would be miracle.

Mori patted her head in an attempt to bring her back to the present. Now he was even more worried about her. What was she going to do now that her father was in hospital? He didn't feel comfortable leaving her at her apartment where some yakuza guy could get to her at any time.

Haruhi was now terrified. She knew that if she went home now, that man would probably be waiting for her. She couldn't go home, her dad is as good as dead... She is alone.

Yuichi also looked very concerned. Haruhi looked she was going to pass out any second. The shock was getting to her, and as a doctor he could see that she couldn't handle being alone. He made a decision.

"Morinozuka-san, can I have a word with you real quick? Fujioka-san, you may go see your father for a moment if you want to." he gave her the room number as he led the Morinozuka boy out of the waiting area.

He started speaking immediately as soon as they were out of earshot.

"She is unstable. Right now, the shock has not fully registered in her mind. Once she is left alone the shock will come to her all at once. I have seen this type of situation before, they seem alright until they are left alone. If what I heard is right, then her mother is deceased?"

Mori nodded at the question. "What are you saying?"

Yuichi's concern showed clearly in his eyes. "Some kids who lose both parents are more prone to commit suicide. Some only start cutting, but some skip that phase and immediately jump to suicide. She needs to be watched constantly. Like I said, right now her emotional state is very unstable, so she might be suicidal. She also needs therapy to help her come to terms with what happened."

Mori gasped silently as Yuichi was talking. He knew this would be a blow to her, but he never thought of Haruhi as becoming suicidal. The gears in his head was turning again. Realization suddenly hit him, his parents were out of town on a business trip for a few more days, so it was only him and his little brother, Satoshi, at home.

"She can stay with me for the time being."

Yuichi nodded. "Good idea. It will be best for her to have someone around. Here's my card with my personal cell number, if you notice anything that is a bigger cause for concern, please don't hesitate to call me."

He took Mori's number and promised to let him know any news concerning Ranka-san.

Meanwhile, Haruhi sat at her father's bedside. Not saying anything, not doing anything, she just stared at him. His face was bruised, with a bandage wrapped thickly around his forehead. Haruhi moved subconsciously, not really realizing that she was moving, until she took her father's semi-cold hand in her own.

"Why Dad? Why are you leaving me alone? You knew how lonely I've been since Mom died, so why are you leaving too?" Tears started dripping down her face again.

"What am I supposed to do now? How can I chase my dreams of becoming a lawyer like Mom if you are not there to cheer me on? Daddy..." Haruhi hadn't called Ranka 'Daddy' since she was a little girl of five. It was shortly after her mother had died, when she had stopped calling him 'Daddy'.

Mori stood outside the door, waiting for Haruhi to say what she wanted to her father before he went in. He didn't want to interrupt her time with the okama (crossdresser). He knew how much Haruhi loved her father, even if she didn't always show it. This was a major blow to her. He quickly called Satoshi to tell him that they will be having an extra guest for a while and to ask him to tell the maids to get a guest-room ready for her.

He stepped into the room when he thought it was okay.

"Haruhi?" he walked over to the still girl and offered her his hand. She only stared at his hand for a while before she reached out to take it.

"You will stay at my place for tonight, okay?" Haruhi didn't have it in her to fight him, so she only nodded. Together they walked out to the waiting limo.

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><p><strong>Okay, so that is it for a while, I have college work o do, BUT I will try to update at least once a week. You people were lucky so far, I already had these chapters written before posting it...<strong>

**Anywayzzzz, review if you want!**

**I.K. Out**

**Edited: 3-28-2016**


	5. 5: Explanations?

**Hey y'all! I'm back with chapter 5! I know this story is full of suspense, but be warned, it's about to get worse, WAY worse, before it gets better!**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><em>"Haruhi?" Mori spoke as he walked over to the still girl and offered her his hand. She only stared at it for a while before she reached out to take it.<em>

_"You will stay at my place for tonight, okay?" Haruhi didn't have it in her to fight him, so she only nodded. Together they walked out to the waiting limo._

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><p><strong>Chapter 5: Explanations<strong>?

Satoshi was already waiting for them at the front doors. He was about to rush towards his brother when he noticed his solemn expression. He said a simple 'hello' to Haruhi, and turned a questioning gaze to his brother.

Mori saw the question in his younger brother's eyes, but he just shook his head, and softly inquired which guestroom had been prepared. Satoshi told him that it was was the one right between the two brother's rooms. Mori nodded and took Haruhi to the kitchen to get her some tea.

Satoshi looked at Haruhi's pale face in concern, but the look on his brother's face quickly made him decide against asking questions. If Takashi wanted him to know, then he would tell him later.

Haruhi was feeling completely numb. She didn't want to think. Because if she started thinking, she would start crying. She was so very confused and scared, but her mind numbed her feelings for the time being. She robotically took the tea that Mori offered to her.

Mori and Satoshi only watched her in concern and confusion respectively. Satoshi was itching to ask questions, the main one being: 'Is Haruhi really a girl?' Satoshi and Yasuchika (Hani's little brother) had only met Haruhi once, and was still under the impression that she was a 'he'. He knew that it was probably not the best time to ask, but he was just SO curious that he just kind off blurted it out.

"Are you really a girl?" Satoshi mentally kicked himself for not keeping his mouth shut. That is, until Haruhi burst out laughing. He blushed, but gave an embarrassed laugh as well. Mori only gave a small smile at his little brother's antics, glad that Satoshi was able to make Haruhi laugh.

Haruhi laughed until her stomach hurt. The sudden, absurd question was just so unexpected, that she couldn't help but laugh. Finally catching her breath, she sat up and looked Satoshi dead in the eye when she confirmed that she was in fact really a girl, and NOT a boy as she had been introduced to him.

"Then why are you in a hostclub full of guys?" Satoshi decided that since Haruhi was answering, he might as well start asking some of the questions that was bugging him.

Haruhi shared a smile with Mori before she turned back to Satoshi to explain how she had ended up with in the hostclub. She told him about how she had been looking for a quiet place to study and wound up in the third music room, thinking that it was abandoned. Satoshi laughed at how everyone mistook her for a boy. He listened to the story of how she broke the vase worth 8million yen. Haruhi and Satoshi were having fun with the story of how she became a host, that is, until she got to the part of the debt.

Suddenly Haruhi froze when realization hit her. "The debt..." Her face paled and she started trembling. Satoshi was startled when Haruhi suddenly started shaking for no real reason that he could tell.

Mori quickly went to her side, but she stood up and excused herself quietly. He showed her to her room.

"Are you alright?" Mori asked quietly.

Haruhi gave a small smile, hoping to reassure Mori that she will be okay. She didn't want him to worry about her more than he already did.

Closing the door, Haruhi saw the room for the first time. It was HUGE! Looking around, she was thinking that she could almost fit her whole apartment in just this room. Momentarily distracted from her problems, she checked out every nook and cranny of the bedroom. It even had an en-suite bathroom. The thought 'Damn rich bastards' came up quite often during her expedition.

With the euphoria wearing off after a while, Haruhi once again realized the severity of her situation. The fear and confusion was suddenly crashing down on her. She started shaking again, the tears falling silently. After a while she could no longer suppress the sobs that raked her body. Falling on the bed, she tried to muffle the sobs in the pillows.

_What am I going to do? I can't let Dad get killed, but I can't marry that guy! Would he really go away if our debt is paid? Could I really take that chance? Dear Mother in Heaven, please help me!_

Satoshi was very confused. From what he knew about Haruhi from Mitsukuni and Takashi, she was a strong girl, but the person he just saw, was practically the exact opposite. What could have possibly shaken her up so much, and why did she have to stay over? Not that he minded, but he really wanted some answers.

The doorbell chose that moment to ring. Sighing, Satoshi went to open the door for whoever decided to bother them at 9:30 pm. Behind the door stood a very unhappy Shadowking.

"Um... Good evening Kyoya-senpai, how can I help you?" Well, he tried to be polite...

"Is Mori-senpai home? I really need to speak to him." came the curt answer.

Satoshi only shrugged and led the Shadowking to the living room where he himself had been waiting for answers. Being Satoshi, he didn't think to offer refreshments to the unexpected guest.

When Mori came back from Haruhi's room, he was not really surprised to see Kyoya. He knew that after his cryptic message after club time, the Shadowking would be seeking answers. After the day he had, however, he was not really in the mood to explain anything to him, but he also knew that it would be better to do it now, than let Kyoya bother Haruhi the next day at school. So, sighing inwardly, he greeted his late-night guest.

Kyoya was no idiot, he could tell that Mori has had a very tiring day, but right now he didn't care, he wanted answers and he wanted them immediately.

Mori looked at his brother and then at Kyoya, both wanted answers, even though it was for different reasons. He sank down on the couch next to Satoshi. Taking a deep breath, he started explaining what he could without breaking Haruhi's trust.

"Kyoya, Satoshi, what is said here, does not leave this room. Understood?" Both boys nodded, so Mori continued.

"Ranka-san got into some trouble. He was attacked earlier today and is currently in the hospital and in a coma. The doctor doesn't know if he will wake up again because of the major head trauma that he has suffered. Haruhi is very shaken up about this. She has no idea if her father will live or die. She will be staying here for the time being, I don't feel comfortable leaving her at her apartment all alone while Ranka-san is in the hospital. Kyoya, no matter what happens, you need to leave her and her debt alone until she is more stable. If there is really something to be added, I will take care of it. Satoshi, don't ask her anything about this. If she wants to talk, she will. Just be yourself, otherwise she will pick up that something is different and she will close up even more."

Satoshi and Kyoya were both too shocked to say anything. For Kyoya was it not only the news that was shocking, but that was also the most that he had ever heard Mori talk. His brain was working a-mile-a-minute, _in what kind of trouble was Ranka-san and why did he not know about it?_ His information is always spot-on and left no stone un-turned, so how could he not know if Ranka-san was in trouble?

Satoshi was quiet. He thought back to Haruhi's strange behavior when they got home from the hospital. It made more sense now, but there was still the question of her reaction when she was talking about her debt to the host club. He looked up at his big brother and saw the stress and, (was that fear?) in his eyes. He knew he shouldn't ask, but he couldn't let Takashi suffer in silence like he usually does, so he decided to speak up.

"Hey Taka-bro? I get the whole thing that she is worried about her father and all, but why did she react the way she did when telling me about how she became a part of the host club? She looked terrified." the confusion was evident in his voice and eyes.

Kyoya got another surprise when Satoshi mentioned Haruhi being terrified when speaking about the host club. Now he was not only confused, but concerned as well. Despite his attitude, he really does care about his friends, even though he rarely (if ever) shows it.

Mori looked at the two younger boys for a long time before he said that it was not his place to say. Seeing the clock on the wall already showed 23:14, he told Satoshi to go to bed. They still had school the next day after all.

Satoshi reluctantly agreed. Even though it was nearing midnight, Kyoya made no move to get up. He was not satisfied yet. Mori was hiding something. Something big, and that bothered him greatly, so he made no move to leave.

Mori saw that Kyoya won't leave until he had the whole story, so he also stayed seated, but made no effort to break the silence after Satoshi's departure.

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><p><strong>Well that's it for chapter 5. Read ya'll next chapter!<strong>

**Review if you please**

**Edited: 3-28-2016**


	6. 6:New Guy

**Hey all! Here is chapter 6 for ya! Thanks (once again) for Kerilu95 for the edit/review and everything else you did (and still do)!  
>Seems like I keep forgetting the disclaimers... oopsy..<strong>

**I DO NOT OWN ANY CHARACTERS FROM OHSHC, ONLY THE PLOT AND ANY OC'S THAT MIGHT BE ADDED LATER. **

**Hehehe, enjoy!**

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><p><em>Mori saw that Kyoya won't leave until he had the whole story, so he also stayed seated, but made no effort to break the silence after Satoshi's departure.<em>

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><p><strong>Chapter 6: New Guy<strong>

Haruhi laid on the bed, wide awake. She had heard the doorbell earlier, but it had not really registered in her mind that it could be one of the other hosts. Her mind was once again in a state of confusion and fear, replaying the scene in the alley and hospital over, and over. Shivering, she turned on her side and closed her eyes, only to open them again a second later.

In a daze she stood up and walked to her bathroom to get some water. She saw the cabinet above the sink that she had not noticed earlier. Opening it, she looked at the razors innocently sitting on one of the shelves. In her dazed state, she didn't really realize what she was doing when she reached out and grabbed the razors. Slowly, ever so slowly she lifted her arm, razor poised above her thin wrist.

At first, she felt nothing, then she started coming out of her daze and she felt the stinging on her wrist. She freaked out, started hyperventilating, and did the only thing she could at that second. She screamed.

* * *

><p>Satoshi was walking back to his room still grumbling about being sent to bed while the older guys continued their talk. Damn it! He also cared about Haruhi, even if they were not as close friends as she was with his brother. He had seen the change in Takashi since she came along, and he appreciated her for it, even though he only recently found out that she is girl.<p>

He was more upset than really angry, why would Haruhi or her father not seek help if they were in trouble? None of that stuff made much sense to him because, (like Haruhi would say), he was a damn rich bastard. He didn't know anything about the struggles of the middle class -he felt wrong to call them 'commoners' ( A/n: what a good guy ^.^) .

Deep in thought, he didn't realize that he had stopped in front of Haruhi's room. A scream quickly pulled him out of his thoughts. He raced into the room without thing about the fact that it was a girl staying in that particular room. All he could think of, was protecting Haruhi from more harm than what she had already been through in just that one day.

Upon entering the bathroom from where he had first heard the scream, he stopped dead in his tracks. There, right in front of his eyes, was Haruhi, looking like a ghost and her arm looked like a shredder got ahold of it. Satoshi panicked at the sight of so much blood before he noticed Haruhi was staring at him with panic in her eyes.

"Help me…" It was no more than a mere whisper.

Satoshi made quick work of finding the first-aid kit, but he quickly realized that the wounds were too severe to simply put disinfectant and bandages on. He grabbed a towel and told Haruhi to put pressure on the deepest cuts if she could. He proceeded to pick her up bridal-style and ran back to the front door, yelling for Takashi as he got closer to the living room. Takashi and Kyoya both came running when Satoshi yelled for help. When they saw Haruhi and the blood, Kyoya quickly told him that his driver was still waiting at the front door. Satoshi and Mori were both trying to keep pressure on the wounds as well as keeping Haruhi awake. She was starting to get drowsy from the heavy blood loss. Suddenly Mori remembered about the doctor.

"Call Yuichi." Came the gruff order to Kyoya.

"Why him? We have plenty of other doctors already at the hospital." Kyoya was confused, but he scrolled to his eldest brother's number anyway.

"He's the one who had helped Ranka-san." It was clear that he won't give more information, so Kyoya dialed the number and waited impatiently for the doctor on the other end to pick up.

Cursing met him as soon as the phone was picked up.

"Dammit Kyoya! Do you have any idea what time it is?" Yuichi did NOT like to be woken up after a long and tedious day at the hospital.

"It's Haruhi. She-" Yuichi cut him off before he could go any further.

"Which hospital?"

"Tokyo General is closest." Kyoya wondered how in the world Yuichi would know that they were heading to a hospital, but knew that now was not the time to ask questions.

"I'm on my way." With that, Yuichi hung up and pulled out of the Ohtori driveway in record time. He cursed aloud as he sped towards the hospital. Had he not told the Morinozuka boy to keep a close eye on the girl? In his haste and anger, he ran 2 red lights. Luckily there were no other traffic on the road since it was after midnight already.

Yuichi reached the hospital just as Kyoya's limo pulled up in the emergency parking. He gave only one look at the blood and the almost-passed out Haruhi before he started running ahead and shouted orders at the personnel and entered the ER just as Haruhi was brought in.

* * *

><p>Time ticked by too slowly for the three young men in the waiting room. Tic-tock, tic-tock. Every second felt like an hour for the guys waiting to hear any news on their friend. Just as the half-hour mark passed, another bloodstained person walked in and collapsed on one of the chairs in the room, a vacant expression in his visible eye.<p>

Black leather covered his legs and combat boots on his (surprisingly small) feet. A once blue shirt, stained with blood under an equally bloodied black leather jacket. Hair parted to only show the right eye, his left eye hidden. The vacant expression in the green eye made it look like he was looking right through you.

The other occupants had noticed the new arrival but said nothing. Kyoya stood up and started pacing back and forth, as he had been doing for the last 30 minutes. Mori sat looking as expressionless as always. Sitting like a statue. Satoshi was unable to sit completely still. He kept fidgeting and twisting his fingers like a nervous girl on her first date.

Little did any of the three friends realize that the stranger was watching them. He saw the worried expression on each of their faces, no matter how well they were able to hide it from others. A nurse walked in and straight to the observer.

"Another one?! Really, Scar, you would think that you would stop picking those things off the street already!" She was clearly not very happy with this stranger she had called 'Scar'.

'Scar' rose up to speak to the nurse who had insulted someone he clearly cared about, green eye flashing dangerously.

"That 'thing', as you so rudely put it, _nurse,_" The word was spit out like a curse. "Is only a CHILD! He cannot take care of himself and his parents TRIED TO KILL HIM! Don't you DARE tell me I am not allowed to help a helpless kid who gets tossed out onto the streets."

The other three occupants stared at the (short) boy who raised his voice to a nurse. What surprised them the most, however, were the words spoken. After all, shouldn't a nurse care about patients?

"Che! You already have fourteen of those street-rats in your care, why would you want to add another burden to yourself? That's after all the only thing those things are good for, isn't it? Putting more pressure on you?"

*SLAM!*

The nurse trembled violently as 'Scar' threw her into the wall and pressed a flick-knife against her throat. He spoke in no more than a growl,

"Those kids are innocent. Just because they were born, they should be treated as slaves? If the parents didn't want kids, then the BITCHES SHOULDN'T HAVE GOTTEN THEMSELVES PREGNANT!"

He stood back and the nurse fell to the floor. "Get out of my sight." It might have been said softly, but there was so much hatred in those 5 words that even Mori and Kyoya felt like giving this person a wide berth.

Just as the nurse had disappeared and 'Scar' took his seat again, Yuichi came in looking exhausted. Mori, Kyoya and Satoshi stood up as one man with the same question in all of their eyes: Is Haruhi alright?

Yuichi sighed as he delivered the news. "She lost too much blood. She urgently needs a blood transfusion, but she has a rare blood type, the hospital doesn't have it."

All three boy's faces fell at this. Kyoya spoke up, "Can't we get some from another hospital? "

Yuichi shook his head slowly. He explained that this blood type is extremely rare and that it's used almost as soon as the blood-banks get it in.

"She's AB-negative right?" All four turned towards the forgotten person in the chair on the opposite wall. "Scar…"

Well, seems that Yuichi knew this person. He nodded slowly.

"Well, I'm here. Let's go save another life Doc." Scar stood up and walked towards Yuichi who merely stared at him.

"It has not even been two weeks since your last donation. Your body can't handle the strain so often. Besides, when was the last time you ate a proper meal?" He tried to take care of his donors as well as his patients.

"Doc, there is a girl in that room who might die without a blood transfusion. Why should I, just at the risk of passing out, let her suffer? I can eat later."

The stubborn look in his eye(s) and stance only made Yuichi sigh before he gave in and took Scar to draw blood.

Kyoya was slightly suspicious of the person who just left with his brother. It's not like he wasn't grateful that he was willing to help Haruhi, but something seemed a little off about that guy. He made a mental note to ask Yuichi about him later (it had to be a mental note since he had left his trusty black book in the limo). The way that guy spoke to the nurse and even threatened her with a knife did not sit well with him.

Mori was also not very happy with the way that Scar had treated the nurse, but he seemed to have a valid reason if what he had gathered from their conversation was indeed true. Even so, that was no reason to threaten her with a knife!

Satoshi was deep in thought. That 'Scar' person seemed somehow familiar… Why did he feel like he knew that person? And what was going to happen to Haruhi now? Satoshi hated the feeling of utter helplessness that he was feeling.

10 agonizing minutes later, Scar came back in with his face looking like a ghost's. He seemed to be on the verge of passing out, as he merely fell onto one of the chairs right by the door.

Satoshi was a little concerned, so he cautiously went to him and asked if he was alright. A dull green eye peered back at him, freaking him out a little, but he stood strong.

The reply came in a haunted voice: "I REALLY hate needles…"

As much as he tried, Satoshi just couldn't help but laugh at the poor guy's predicament. How could he stand to donate blood (quite regularly if he understood Yuichi-sensei right), if he was afraid of needles? He found the thought quite hilarious.

A raised eyebrow was the only response he got to his laughing fit.

Mori was not very pleased with Satoshi for approaching such an unpredictable, not to mention potentially dangerous, person so freely. He kept on guard as Scar merely stared at Satoshi from his only visible eye.

Scar chuckled softly. "I guess you're wondering how I could donate blood with the fact that I hate needles so much, is that it?"

Still struggling to get his laughter under control, Satoshi only nodded. A sad smile crossed over his face as he explained that his first donation was for his dying grandfather.

"I was the only one in the whole family who had that blood type, so it was one of two choices for the doctors: 1. Let a ten year old kid donate blood or 2. Let Grandfather die. To me, there really was no other option since Grandfather was my only family member who actually cared about me. The others were too focused on making money or being the best or whatever they thought they were doing. Grandfather became my legal guardian after I was taken away from my parents. Once, one of Grandpa's friend's children was in a car accident and needed blood, Grandpa was out of town and couldn't help, so they asked me. The kid was only about a year younger than me, so I wanted to help. That was the start of me being a regular blood donor."

He seemed to be looking back into the past, not seeing anything happening in the present. Especially not the sad look in Satoshi's eyes. Blinking a few times, he came back to the present and smiled at the others.

"I had to face my fear to save the ones I cared about. Now I do it because I know how many people need help that I can give."

Satoshi nodded gravely. He understood the want to protect others very well, as does Mori. Yuichi came in a few moments after the explanation had been finished. Everybody looked up at him as he entered the waiting room, even Scar looked up. He gave a tired smile.

"Fujioka-san will be fine. She is still a little weak, but she should be alright in a few days. Her arms, however, might scar. The cuts were very deep on some places."

Scar stiffened at the name. "Did you just say 'Fujioka'? As in Haruhi Fujioka?" His eye(s) were guarded, but at the same time desperate?

"Yes. Do you know her?" Yuichi watched as the little color in Scar's face drained as well.

Scar only nodded. Numbly he asked what had happened to Haruhi. None of the others in the room felt like explaining that she had tried to commit suicide (as it seemed like she did), so they stayed silent. Scar didn't really seem to care about the lack of response as he asked another question that no-one wanted to answer.

"Where is her father?"

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><p><strong>Ooohh, another cliffhanger... Lucky you! ;-P So, more questions rise, tension running high and suspicion grates nerves... What will happen next?<br>Hehe, I love making people wonder! Leave me a review if you want! **

**I.K. out...**

**Edited: 3-28-2016**


	7. 7: More Questions

**Hey all! I'm back with more drama, confusion and even MORE questions! Are you ready?  
>Seems like I keep forgetting the disclaimers... *pout*<strong>

**I do not own OHSHC or any of its characters, I only own the plot and any OC's that gets added. **

**Enjoy!**

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><p>"<em>Where is her father?"<em>

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><p><strong>Chapter 7 : Confusion<strong>

"Well? Where is Ryuji-san?" Scar asked again after a few minutes when he got no answer. Yuichi answered Scar softly, telling him that Ranka-san was in a coma.

"What…. But… Oh shit… This is not good, if this gets out… Oh boy…" Scar started pacing back and forth muttering in some language that none of the others were familiar with. After pacing the whole room six times, he looked out the door. Seeing someone there his eyes narrowed and took on a murderous glint.

"Keep anyone except Yuichi-sensei and you three out of Haruhi's room at all cost." It was not a suggestion, it was a direct order from Scar as he walked out of the room with eye(s) shooting daggers at someone outside the waiting room.

He stormed out, walking straight towards another leather-clad fellow.

"Why would he say something like that?" Satoshi asked once Scar got out of earshot.

* * *

><p>Scar was furious! How DARE that man do this to Haruhi?! The furious young boy stormed up to the the leather-clad guy at the reception desk.<p>

"We need to talk." Scar started, skipping the greeting. It wasn't needed between the two comrades. The new guy could clearly see that his friend was not in the mood for pleasantries.

"Assemble your best guys_, HE_ has been moving." The green eye gleamed dangerously and Scar's comrade could see that something more was happening than just the SF being summoned. The SF was the group's Special Forces unit. That was clearly NOT a drill. Sparing a sidelong glance at Scar, he could see the strain of keeping his anger in check.

"Anybody else?"

Scar took a few moments to answer.

"Get me a team of six high-security guards. Let it be people you would trust with a defenseless girl as well as your life."

After another short silence, Scar continued:

"I need them right away. Oh, and send someone to get me some clean clothes will you? I won't be leaving here anytime soon."

The other guy only nodded and left to start making phone calls. He knew by now that it was not wise to ask questions. Besides, Scar looked like he was about to remove somebody's head if that person breathed too hard, so he decided to simply follow orders and await further instructions.

* * *

><p>Back in the waiting room, all the guys were extremely confused, not to mention suspicious, of the complete stranger's behavior. Yuichi knew who Scar is, so he also realized that there was a reason for him to say what he did. He decided to do as Scar said and motioned for the others to follow him to the girl's room.<p>

Kyoya did not like this, not one bit. He could tell that Scar knew something that he did not and it aggravated him to no end. Haruhi was his friend and he had never heard her talk about any person named 'Scar'. He had no idea what to think about the leather-clad teenager.

Mori was uncomfortable with Scar's response to the condition of Haruhi and Ranka-san. It seemed like he knew something, but exactly _what,_ and _how much_ did he know? And WHY did he know anything? Haruhi never really mentioned friends other than the hosts, not even friends from middle school. Something just did not add up.

Satoshi stared after Scar for a moment before he followed the others to Haruhi's room. There was something tickling the back of his mind, but he was unable to grasp it. He still felt like he knew Scar from somewhere, and his reaction to Haruhi's name just reinforced that feeling. Just what is going on here?

* * *

><p>Darkness. Cold. What was that place? It was lonely, there was nobody else there. Far beyond there is a light. A figure started walking towards it, but as it came closer, the pain started. Headache, arms burning, legs feeling like lead. To escape the pain, the figure went back to the comforting darkness. It was lonely, but at least there was no pain there…<p>

* * *

><p>Yuichi checked all the bandages and took Haruhi's vitals which he wrote down on a clipboard full of other medical notes.<p>

The three boys stood to the side and out of his way. When he had finished, they all sat down around the room. Haruhi had been placed in a private room due to her delicate situation. Here she would be monitored at all times to ensure that she did not hurt herself again.

After a while, Scar came in looking a lot better than he had when they all first came into contact. He had changed into clean clothes, although it was still black leather. And he had also cleaned up a bit. Yuichi sent a glare at him and he merely lifted an oats bar.

"I am eating, see? I'll have a proper meal later."

Yuichi only scoffed and asked why they were told to be the only ones allowed in Haruhi's room. He was thinking about the practicality of it all. The nurses would need to be allowed in for the checkups and keeping an eye on her to prevent further danger to herself.

"How much do any of you know about her current situation, and I'm not talking about her current health?" Scar did not want to let them know the full extent of the complex situation if Haruhi hadn't told them anything, because that would mean that she didn't want them to know.

Mori spoke up, surprising everyone except for Scar, since he didn't know him.

"Not enough to understand what you are so concerned about. She only admitted to being in a pinch, not much more."

Kyoya stared at Mori from behind the glaring lenses of his glasses. Why would Haruhi go to Mori-senpai of all people? He was confused and he didn't like being confused.

Scar sighed before he spoke again: "I guess she tried to it herself. Again. Stupid girl… Anyway, she probably doesn't know that her life might be in danger. Listen, I'll tell you what I think you should know, but I refuse to tell you everything. If Haruhi wants you to know more, she will tell you herself."

Looking straight at Mori, Scar continued: "But before I start, I need to know how much she had already told you."

Mori and Scar stared at each other for a long moment before Mori spoke. He could see that Scar had no bad intentions towards Haruhi, so he decided to relay everything that Haruhi had told him to the rest of them.

Scar nodded solemnly as he listened to Mori's tale. With a sigh he said that was only a part of the whole story, but he refused to tell them more than that.

Satoshi, Kyoya and Yuichi were very surprised to hear the story that was Haruhi's life. All of them were now concerned for the girl's safety. Yuichi turned to Scar.

"What do you suggest?"

"Well, since Ryuji-san is currently in a coma, Haruhi is practically a sitting duck. The guy who's after her, would stop at nothing to get to her. I have arranged for some guards, they should be here shortly. You guys should get some rest."

Almost as an afterthought he added, "You look like hell." With that, he turned around to greet the man by the door which no-one else had noticed yet.

After a few softly spoken words, Scar let the man into the room completely and introduced him as the head of the security-team, Daichi. He would be in charge of Haruhi and her security while she is in the hospital.

Daichi bowed respectfully at his boss' friends. No need to stir up trouble before even beginning. He inquired about the four gentlemen in the room as he should, but he could not shake the feeling of distrust towards the bespectacled teen. Something about him sent Daichi's senses reeling. He made a mental note to do a background check on all of them, even if the Boss said they were to be trusted. No use in taking chances.

Scar was nothing if not observant, so he had immediately noticed the guard's unease towards Kyoya. Scar himself was a little concerned about him. He knew, of course, that Kyoya was an Ohtori and Yuichi-sensei's youngest brother, but he sensed something off about him and he was determined to find out what. He would protect Haruhi even if it cost him everything, she was just THAT important, but nobody needed to know why. Perhaps he should talk to Yuichi-sensei about this, after all, he had been keeping Scar's secret for years now, so surely he could be trusted?

Satoshi stared at the guard. He could see the man sizing them up and coming to conclusions. He also noticed how Daichi's gaze lingered on Kyoya-senpai, it was not really that much of a suspicious behavior, but something seemed off about the way he stared at his senpai. Why would he stare at him like that? What was that nagging feeling in the back of his mind that he knew Scar from somewhere? It really bothered him.

Mori was deep in thought. He thought about everything that Haruhi had told him and the weird person who knows more about the situation than he does. Why would a complete stranger know so much about Haruhi's life if even Kyoya knew nothing? He had seen the surprise on Kyoya's face as he told them what he knew earlier, so he was convinced that it had (up till that point) only been himself and Haruhi that knew of that. Just who is Scar? How is he involved with Haruhi and what were his intentions?

A soft groan brought them all out of their thoughts. Scar and Yuichi were next to Haruhi in an instant. When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw, was a room full of people that she did not immediately recognize. Because of this, she started to panic and hyperventilate, thrashing around and nearly pulling the IV from her arm. Yuichi immediately restrained her arms, telling Scar to hold down her legs, but he refused.

"Scar, we don't have time for this!"

Completely ignoring the doctor, Scar began talking to Haruhi in a gentle, yet kind of monotone voice.

"Haruhi, calm down. It's all right. No-one here means you any harm." He lifted his hand and covered her eyes. "Listen to my voice. Listen only to my voice for a moment. Breathe slowly in, and slowly out. Breathe in again, and slowly out."

With the sound of the voice and the hand covering the unknown people from her sight, Haruhi did as the voice instructed her, breathing slowly in and out. She had stopped trashing around as soon as the hand covered her eyes and the grip on her arm loosened. Her body, however, was still tight as a string. Seeing this, Scar gave new instructions in the same tone of voice.

"Now relax your muscles methodically. Start with your toes and consciously relax the muscles."

Doing as instructed, Haruhi tensed her muscles in her feet and released. Slowly working her way upwards, all the while the voice kept talking, urging her to continue, but to leave her arms for last. As she reached her neck, the voice began giving instructions for her arms.

Both Scar and Yuichi kept a close eye on Haruhi as she worked her muscles into relaxation. When she reached her arms, Scar's instructions became more precise in order for the doctor to evaluate whether or not there was more damage than they had thought at first. It turns out, there was something overlooked after all. Haruhi winched as she got to her shoulder. Narrowing his eyes, Scar still spoke to her in the same, almost hypnotic tone of voice.

"Haruhi, I am going to touch your hand, alright?"

After a brief hesitation, a soft 'hai' was heard. Scar gently touched her hand to let her know he was there. Every step of the way, he told her what he was going to do before doing it. This seemed to help Haruhi to stay calm, even if one of his hands was still over her eyes.

"I'm going to poke your muscles in your arm a little to see where the problem is. Tell me if I am hurting you or if you feel a sting, ok? I am also going to remove my hand now, but keep your eyes closed for a bit longer, alright?"

Both times Haruhi nodded at the questions, so Scar began at her hand and slowly making his way to her elbow, he rubbed and poked at the muscle. All the while he kept looking for any reaction of pain or discomfort in her face. Everything went well enough until he reached her shoulder. Haruhi cried out in pain as Scar prodded a particularly sore spot right under her collarbone.

Brows pulling together in concentration, Scar began talking to Haruhi again, telling her that he was going to help her sit up a little so that he can look at her shoulder blade. At her nod of consent, Scar put his one arm around her shoulders and the other under her knees to move her up enough so that she can be as comfortable as possible while he examined her shoulder further. The arm under her shoulders elicited a yelp of pain form the patient, but calmed down almost immediately at the soothing words spoken by 'The Voice' as she referred to the person speaking to her.

Scar took great care in working as gentle as possible, but you can only work SO gentle before the examination means nothing. In the process, Haruhi's muscles tensed again. Scar saw the bundle of nerves pulled together in a little ball right under the shoulder blade. Shaking his head lightly he spoke to Haruhi again.

"Your muscles have contracted below the shoulder blade. I am going to rub it out for you, but I'm afraid that if will hurt quite a lot. Unfortunately it has to be done; otherwise it will only get worse. I also need you to relax your other muscles, it could help a little. May I continue? "

Haruhi tensed at the sound of more pain, but with the explanation, she gave her consent. She began relaxing again from the feet in hopes to take her mind off the inevitable pain. She felt the gentle hands beginning to poke and prod at the sore muscles. She felt the muscle tense and focused on relaxing it.

Scar realized what Haruhi was doing and grinned at the idea. He worked quickly and efficiently and in less than 10 minutes, the ball of tense muscle was relaxed and Haruhi was practically goo in his hands. After laying her down, he chuckled softly and began to speak to her in the same voice as before.

"Haruhi, you must open your eyes soon. When I remove my hands from your back and eyes, you will see six people. Not one of them means you any harm. There is your doctor, Yuichi Ohtori-sensei; your friend Kyoya Ohtori-san; your friend Takashi Morinozuka-san and his brother Satoshi Morinozuka-kun. There is also Daichi; he is my bodyguard which I am lending to you for a little while. Lastly there is me; my name is Scar, there is no reason to fear me or anyone in this room. Do you understand?"

Haruhi nodded slowly, so Scar asked if she was ready to open her eyes. Haruhi tensed slightly, but she nodded again. She opened her eyes and came face-to-face with a boy who had his dark-chocolate colored hair covering his left eye; revealing his other eye which was bright green and shone with kindness. She turned her head to the other side, seeing Yuichi-sensei standing there. Blinking once, twice she looked at the other occupants in the room. Just as Scar had said, she saw Kyoya-senpai, Satoshi, and Mori-senpai, all with worried yet awed expressions on their faces. Looking at the door, she noticed an unfamiliar man which she assumed was 'Daichi'.

Scar smiled kindly at Haruhi as she took in her surroundings. He knew that she was still feeling weird because of the blood transfer, so he let her look around at her own pace. He noticed the questioning gazes from everybody else in the room. He knew they wanted to know how he had managed to calm Haruhi so fast, but he was not about to reveal any of his secrets just yet (if at all).

Haruhi turned back to Scar and studied his face. Her mind was still in a slight haze, but she had no idea why. She reached out a hand to wipe the annoying hair out of the boy's face. She wanted to look at his entire face, but as she reached out, she realized that something was in her arm. Looking down, she saw a needle connected to a tube. In the tube was a clear liquid running into her arm. She did not like the idea of some unknown liquid running into her system. Maybe that was why her mind is so fuzzy?

Scar noticed Haruhi's frown as she looked at the IV and realized her intension. Lightly grabbing her hand, he successfully brought her attention back to himself. He explained to her that she was currently in the hospital and that the IV had antibiotics in it to help her recover faster. At this explanation, Haruhi only nodded.

"Haruhi-chan, do you know why you are in the hospital right now?" Yuichi asked kindly. Instead of answering, Haruhi only stared back at him.

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><p><strong>Haha... oops, another cliffhanger... Just a quick question: <em>Can I bring in a little of the supernatural or do you want me to stay as close to my imagination's reality as possible<em>? Please leave me a review with your answer, it will determine a lot of the next chapter, so I would like the input of my readers!**

**Thanks to Kerilu95 for beta reading this chapter as well!**

**Read y'all next chapter!**

**Edited: 3-28-2016**


	8. 8:Secrets Starts Unfolding

**Hey all! Sorry for the long wait! Things are a bit hectic on my side...  
>Thanks to Kerilou95 for both the proof-reading and editing of this chapter and also for helping me write a part of it, I really couldn't do it without her. So, on to the chapter!<strong>

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><p><em>"Haruhi-chan, do you know why you are in the hospital right now?" Yuichi asked kindly. Instead of answering, Haruhi only stared back at him.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8: Secrets unfolding<strong>

Blankly staring at Yuichi, Haruhi merely blinked. Slowly, as the question sunk into her muddled mind, she looked down at her bandaged arms and frowned.

"What happened?"

Mori and Satoshi both frowned at the question. How is it possible that she doesn't know what had happened? She was after all the one who had caused all the damage. Confused and slightly bewildered Satoshi blurted the question out loud without really thinking.

"How can you not know what happened? You were-"

He was abruptly cut off by Kyoya-senpai who leveled his most severe 'Shadow king' glare on him. Wisely, Satoshi refrained from completing that sentence. He looked back at Haruhi and softly apologized for his insensitivity.

Haruhi did not even seem to realize that he was talking to her. She once again had that blank expression on her face. Turning to the one person who she thought she could trust with giving her the most honest answers, she stated her question.

"Why am I here?"

Haruhi stared at Scar as she waited for the somehow-friend-and-yet-he-is-a-complete-stranger to answer her question. Scar only stared back with an unreadable expression. Slowly shaking his head he gave her an honest answer.

"I don't know. I was kinda hoping you could tell me".

Scar looked at Haruhi as she frowned again. He knew of course why she could not immediately remember, but he did not want to be the one to tell her. It is generally better for patients to remember on their own, and given the circumstances, it was the best course of action for that moment. He continued to watch her with a carefully neutral expression. '_There it is_.'

As Scar thought this, Haruhi began trembling as she stared at her arms in shock and something akin to repulsion. "I did this?" The question was asked so softly that it was almost missed, but everyone in the room had been watching her very carefully. Scar looked at the other teens in the room and repeated Haruhi's earlier question.

"What happened?" Even though he was looking at Satoshi as he asked, he was hoping that Haruhi would speak for herself. He was not disappointed.

In a voice only audible to Yuichi-sensei and Scar, Haruhi spoke of what she had done. She was still clearly in shock, but at least she was talking. Somehow, Haruhi felt deeply ashamed of herself for doing what she did, but she could remember the daze and the inability to control her own actions quite well. Neither of the two who could hear her had judged her, that much she could see by the sympathy and understanding in their eyes.

Looking at Scar as though searching for approval of some sort, she looked into the kind eyes of a person who also seemed to have suffered much. She could see what very few have ever seen: a hurt, scared boy looking for something to keep living for. How she knew this, she had no idea, but she was determined to help him. Just as quickly as the expression showed, just as quickly it disappeared.

A knock on the door startled everyone out of their thoughts. Satoshi saw the young man first, but before he could say anything, a little girl came in behind the man holding onto his hand as if it was a lifeline. Little did he realize just how close to the truth he was.

Scar looked down and gave the little girl a soft smile. "Hi Emmy-chan. How are you feeling?" The girl looked at him for a long moment before she nodded quickly. No word passed her lips, but Scar seemed satisfied for a reason unknown to anyone but him.

"Would you like to come and meet Haruhi? She is a friend of mine." Scar spoke in gentle tones to the girl who was apparently called 'Emmy'. Everybody looked on as if in some kind of trance as Emmy skirted as far as possible from everybody else, but headed straight for the most dangerous one of all: Scar.

Moving as fast as she could with a limp and an apparently-broken arm, little Emmy walked towards Scar and raised her good arm towards him. Scar smiled at her before gently picking her up, being careful of her injured side. With Emmy in his arms, Scar sat down next to Haruhi on the hospital bed. In gentle tones, he introduced Emmy to Haruhi, softly stating that Haruhi will not hurt her.

Emmy and Haruhi stared at each other for a few moments before Emmy gave a small, timid smile. Still no word passed her lips, but Scar once again seemed satisfied for some unknown reason. Haruhi gave a small smile in response and held out a hand. Only a moment of hesitation passed before Emmy put a slightly shaking hand in Haruhi's. Scar-sama had said that this girl won't hurt her, and Emmy trusted Scar-sama, so it was okay to trust Haruhi-san as well, right?

Everyone in the room, except for Daichi and the latest arrival, was openly gaping at the sight of Scar being so gentle with the little girl, especially since they had witnessed him threatening a nurse not long before. The distrust was rising ever higher for both Mori and Kyoya. Neither knew what to make of that stranger and his even **stranger** behaviour.

The young man still standing at the door spoke up after witnessing little Emmy reacting to anyone but himself and Scar. "Perhaps, if the doctor would permit, Emmy-chan could stay with the young lady for tonight? She seems to have taken a liking to her. They might be good for each other."

Scar watched both girls as they silently bonded. Emmy had not spoken a word since Scar had found her earlier in the day and she shied away from any and all physical contact with anyone. The fact that she had reached out to Haruhi **meant** something. Because of this, he nodded his ascent and looked to Yuichi for permission.

The good doctor did not know about Emmy's shyness around others, but he knew Scar and he also knew that there had to be a reason for giving his consent. Scar rarely did anything without a reason, and when it came to the children he took in, it was always with their best interest at heart. He watched as the little girl traced patterns on the back of Haruhi's hand, as though wanting to ask something but stalling. Yuichi smiled a little at the sight at nodded. He also believed that the girls would be good for each other.

"Just one question, Scar. About the guards…?" Yuichi asked, not really wanting to know the answer, but knowing that it was important that he did. Scar looked him straight in the eye when he spoke.

"Later."

And that was that. Yuichi did not ask anything more and Scar had already turned his attention back to the girls.

Daichi chose that moment to speak up. "Perhaps we should all step outside to let the patients get their rest."

Scar looked at him with amusement sparkling in his eyes. "Are you kicking me out as well Daichi?"

Daichi answered in the same jesting tone his employer had used. "Well, since you are my boss and I would really like to keep my job, no, I am not 'kicking you out'. I am merely making a suggestion in the good interest of the beautiful patients."

Scar smirked a little-boy-with-a-secret type of smirk at Daichi and agreed to let the girls rest. He could see both their eyes drooping already. He softly asked Emmy if she would like to stay with Haruhi for the night, at which the girl nodded quite vigorously. A chuckle left both Scar and Yuichi's throats at the same time.

"Alright Princess. You can stay."

Emmy nodded her thanks and crawled under the covers that Scar was holding up for her, but not before giving him a shy hug. Scar only smiled softly at her as he gently tucked her in.

Haruhi moved over a little to make room for her new friend. Her mind had cleared a little, but she was tired. She did not realize the implication of what Scar and Yuichi-sensei had been talking about in regards to the guards. She only wanted to embrace the welcoming darkness of sleep. The confusion only served to give her a splitting headache, so she chose to ignore it for the time being.

Everybody except Mori, Kyoya and Scar filed out of the room. Scar stood next to the bed and raised an eyebrow, but made no move towards the door. Mori and Kyoya were both still seated. Both wanted answers and neither wanted to leave Haruhi in the hands of a complete stranger that they knew to be violent.

Scar waited patiently for one of them to speak up. He knew that they wanted answers, but he was not about to give answers just yet. He still did not trust the Ohtori kid. Morinozuka on the other hand; he had a feeling he could trust him with his very life without concern.

Kyoya tried to stare that 'Scar' person down as he would one of his business competitors, but to his great annoyance, Scar merely stared back. Scar did not break eye contact or flinch under Kyoya's stare, after all, he was used to much more dangerous people trying to stare him down. Kyoya's stare was like looking into the eyes of a puppy compared to what he normally had to put up with, so he was not bothered by his staring at all. He felt like yawning, but for the sake of politeness, he suppressed it.

Kyoya was getting annoyed. He could not stare that person down as he usually would anybody else. He hated that his most successful intimidation technique was not working. He decided to simply ask straight out what he wanted to know.

"Who are you really?"

Scar very nearly sighed and rolled his eyes, but suppressed the urge. That was THE most basic question he heard almost on a daily basis. It was also one that he very rarely answered, at least, he rarely answered it truthfully. So he stuck to being truthful but vague as he answered.

"A businessman and a friend."

Kyoya frowned at the answer, it was not what he wanted to know, but he also knew that Scar would not give a straight answer. He bit back a growl of frustration.

Mori had watched the whole exchange with his usual expressionless face. He had been surprised to see that Scar had not broken down in the face of Kyoya's stare as he had seen so many others do. The vague answer did not surprised him, even though he had somewhat hoped for a straight one. He could practically feel Kyoya's frustration rolling off of him in waves, so he decided to ask the next question.

"Why help her? And why the strong reaction when you heard that she is in the hospital?"

There was no question about who the 'her' was. Scar looked at Mori and formulated an acceptable, yet vague answer in his mind before speaking. Truthfully, he just wanted to give up and spill his guts to Morinozuka, but not with the Ohtori sitting right there, he still did not trust him.

"I'm simply returning the favor."

Mori did not quite understand the answer, but he could sort of relate. Returning a favor by saving someone. He knew that feeling all too well. He gave a nod. The answer, even though vague, satisfied him. He was now comfortable enough to leave Haruhi in that person's care. He realized that Scar would not hurt her, and that was all he could ask for. Mori stood up and left the room after a brief nod at Scar and a quick look at the girls to see if they are comfortable.

With only Scar and Kyoya left, Scar decided to speak up and be done with it.

"I don't trust you, you don't trust me. It's obvious, so let's just agree to disagree and be done with it. I won't answer your questions and I'm guessing you won't answer mine. For the sake of the girls, just let it be."

Scar stared at Kyoya without much of an expression while waiting for his answer. Kyoya in turn, stared right back. As much as he hated to admit it, the guy was right. Neither would answer the other's questions and neither trusted the other person. Grudgingly, kyoya gave a sharp nod of acceptance, but being Kyoya had to have the last word.

"This is not over."

Scar simply shrugged. "I know. You're gonna go digging into my deep dark past and when you reach a certain point, you will end up dead. Just like all the others who tried to figure out who I am. I am warning you now: Don't go and scratch where you don't itch. Your friends won't be happy if you die. I can't really care less, but because I know that Haruhi does, I'm asking you nicely. Please leave me and my past the mystery it is. I don't kill people, but the ones who guard my past do not have any reason not to. Not even I am allowed to know everything of my past and it is MY LIFE. So do everyone a favor and leave it be."

With that, Scar turned and left the room, leaving a shocked Kyoya behind. Now he was even more determined to find out who Scar really is. "_Not even __**I**__ am allowed to know everything of my past…" _That did not sound right. Kyoya frowned as he thought of Scar's expression with that admission. He looked almost like a lost child. Kyoya shook his head and left after looking to see that Haruhi and Emmy are alright.

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><p>When Kyoya reached the waiting room, everyone was already there. Everyone except Scar and his two friends were sitting around looking exhausted. Scar was looking grim as he spoke to the guy who had brought Emmy in earlier. He seemed very mad about something and Daichi looked a little green. The man stood against the wall, seemingly calm, but even Kyoya could detect the underlying anger in his stance. It was in the way he was gripping his arm, knuckles white.<p>

Scar expelled a hard breath. One more child, one more life, one more broken soul. Who cares right? Children are adaptable; they will be fine, right?

WRONG!

Scar lowered his head and tried to keep his breathing as even as possible while his nails dug into his palms, drawing blood. His rage was white-hot behind his eyelids. A child. She was just a child! He started trembling with the held back rage. He really needed to hit something right at that moment. His vision went red behind his still-closed eyelids. Knowing that in his current condition he was a danger to anyone who dared to approach him, he spun on his heel and stalked to the bathroom.

Daichi was still feeling sick. How could anyone do something like that to a little girl? Hell, she was only 8 years old! His head was a little whoozy as he pushed off the wall to take his place next to Haruhi's door as he was supposed to. His partner for the night looked at him with concern, but Daichi simply waved his concern away.

Everybody else seemed as confused as Kyoya felt at that second. Nobody seemed to know what had happened in the few short minutes it took Kyoya to come in from Haruhi's room. All they saw was rage building in two of the three talking in the far corner and the third looking sick. It was very confusing.

Satoshi was tired. It was almost 3am and he had had no rest that night. His head was starting to get all fuzzy with exhaustion. He nodded off not long before Scar stormed off. Mori saw that his brother fell asleep and realized how tired he himself was. He knew he should probably get Satoshi home to sleep, but he still needed answers. His body seemed to disagree with the idea of staying awake any longer, so he called a driver to pick him and Satoshi up to go home. He could get his answers later.

Kyoya heard the phone call and decided to go home as well. He could do nothing more at the hospital anyway. He gave a half-hearted goodbye to Mori and to Yuichi before walking off to find his driver who was no doubt still somewhere outside. Kyoya was exhausted, but his mind was reeling and he knew that he would not be sleeping that night.

When the Morinozukas had also left, it was only Yuichi and Scar's friend left in the waiting room. Yuichi had never met the lad, but he had seen him with Scar enough to know that he could give him some answers.

"What is your name?" Yuichi decided to start a conversation. The silence was kind of unnerving.

The young man stared at the doctor for a moment before he answered him.

"Kei. I know you; you're Ohtori-sensei aren't you? The one who always does the Boss' check-ups?"

Yuichi nodded. He was (as far as he knew) the only doctor to treat Scar's wounds, does his check-ups and handles the blood donations from Scar and most of his men as well.

"May I ask you something?" Yuichi would have asked even if Kei had refused to answer. Kei looked at him strangely for a moment before speaking again.

"You can ask; doesn't mean I'll answer though."

Yuichi nodded his acceptance. It was more than he had dared to hope for anyway. "What made Scar so angry just now?" Yuichi had never really seen Scar as angry as he had been at that moment, it concerned him.

Kei stared at Yuichi with a curious expression. How much would be safe to tell the doctor? How much does he already know if he knows anything at all? Scar does not usually talk about that sort of situations with anyone except the people involved, so the question remains: How much does the Boss trust his doctor?

After enduring an unnerving scrutiny, Yuichi did not know whether or not it was worth knowing. After all, he is JUST the doctor. The moment he decided to tell Kei to forget that he had asked, the boy started talking.

"We just received the official reports from Emmy-chan's case. Turns out that she was not the only victim. When we had raided the house after the Boss had found Emmy-chan, we had missed a secret passage. The mother was in there. We just received the pictures of the police raid, it ain't pretty man. Me an' the Boss, we work to protect as many as we can; I mean, we know can't save 'em all, but it makes us real mad every time we see that sh*t.

"The pictures; ya can't even look in their eyes without seeing a broken soul. The way those b******s broke their bodies… it ain't make no sense until ya see it. Broken arms, legs, ribs pokin' outa the side… collar bones visible through the knife wounds. It's hell Doc! Daichi – ya saw how he almost threw up? That was the reaction every one of those coppers got when they saw it. Hardened men who sees horrors every day, retching after only a look at one of those photo's. Its horror ya can't tell ta anybody, 'cause they won't get it unless they see fo' themselves."

Kei took a deep breath and tried to unclench his hands – with little success. He did not close his eyes, because he knew – close your eyes and the horrendous pictures are all you will see. After a few tense minutes of calming himself, he spoke again.

"There was another lill' girl too. Eight years old. It was nasty, **nasty** I tell ya! The bruises, the evidence of rape… Doc, ya can't know what it's like ta see a child like that. Even the ambulance men threw up when they saw her.

"I was hopin' ya know. I was REALLY hopin' the guy would be brought out. I wanted to beat him up SO SO BAD, but… That sick piece of sh*t shot himself! One bullet in the head. Sick man… He left the girl and the woman alive in their pain and then he gone an' kill his own sh*tty a$$. I wanted him alive so bad so that me an' da Boss can give back what he dealt his victims, but he chose da easy way out an' killed himself!

"I really feel sorry for the doctors who have to try and piece those poor women back together. There are probably no whole bones in their bodies."

Kei was visibly shaking as he tried to keep his emotions under control. It seemed that Kei spoke with his street-fighter type of speech when he is upset. Yuichi was feeling a little faint himself. Only once had he seen a situation as the one Kei had just described to him and he had almost passed out. In that light, he could understand how the policemen and the paramedics felt; especially since they don't deal with those specific types of situations every day. Just as Kei had finished talking, Scar walked back in.

"No need to pity the doctors, the women are dead."

It was said in complete monotone, but Yuichi could feel the anger and despair radiating off of both the other occupants of the room.

Kei sighed. "Maybe it's better that way. Now they won't have to deal with the pain and looks of pity and everything, yea?"

Scar looked like he might lash out, but in the end he only sighed. He closed his eyes for a moment before saying that Kei might be right. Now the girls could rest in peace. Nobody would judge or pity them for their past circumstances. Scar decided there and then that he and his men would give them a proper funeral.

Kei nodded and went off to make the arrangements. Scar and Yuichi stayed behind. Scar knew that the good doctor would need to know what would be happening with the guards and other important stuff to do with Haruhi so he sat down to have their talk. Even though it was the early hours of the morning, both were alert and aware of the pressing situation.

Scar kept it brief. He explained that the guards would rotate shifts at odd hours so that Haruhi would be guarded at all times and the shifts would never switch at the same time every day. Guards would be in groups of two for obvious reasons. Only the people who had been with Haruhi that night would be allowed in her room. Anyone else would need to get clearance first.

Yuichi nodded at the logic but he was still concerned about the fact that the nurses would need access to check on Haruhi at regular intervals and record her vitals – among other things.

Scar sat for a moment seemingly lost in thought. He then spoke up.

"I would be here most of the time to look after Emmy-chan anyway, so I could always look after Haruhi while I'm at it. I AM after all qualified."

Scar gave a cheeky grin which Yuichi quickly wiped off with his next words.

"That's all well and good, but I may not – in regards to hospital policy- have a male nurse taking care of a female patient. And NO, you may not dress yourself up as a female nurse again. I almost lost my job because of that incident, even though it was done for a very good reason."

Scar visibly deflated, but he knew what the doc said was true. He simply said that he would organize a background check on all the nurses and then pick two, one for night-shift and one for day-shift to look after Haruhi, but he would still be around. That was one point he refused to let up on. Yuichi knew from experience that anything else he might say after that would only fall on deaf ears, so he nodded and left it at that.

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><p>Beep- BEEP- BEEP- BEE—<p>

SMACK!

The poor alarm clock did not even have a chance to defend itself against the powerful fist that smashed its gears. The owner of said powerful fist started emitting a purple aura of doom. Luckily, the alarm clock was no more, so it did not need to be subjected to the horrors of the purple aura.

Cranky did not even begin to cover the black mood of the Shadow king. He was bone-dead-tired and no amount of coffee would be able to save the day from his black mood.

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><p>In another (more traditional) mansion a young teenager had just abused his own alarm clock, (even though this one was at least still in one piece). Satoshi was feeling the late night in his very bones that morning. Groaning, he sat up to stumble his way towards his bathroom to take a cold shower in hopes that it would wake him up a little.<p>

Mori was already awake. His usual routine of waking up with the dawn was paying off on that particular morning. Even though he had only about two and a half hours of sleep, he still woke at the crack of dawn for his morning workout before school. Usually, Mori drank tea with his breakfast, so when he had started to down one cup of coffee after another, the cook was getting worried.

Before he could ask if Master Takashi was feeling alright, a bouncy, hyper-as-can-be blond bounced into the kitchen.

"Morning Takashi! We have to get to school early today, Tama-chan said there is going to be a meeting this morning. By the way, why didn't you answer your phone last night? Come to think of it, Kyo-chan didn't answer either. Hmm, I wonder why."

Hani only noticed Takashi's dazed state when he did not hear the customary 'Aa' in answer to his babbling. He frowned at his cousin in confusion. "What is wrong Takashi? You look like you didn't sleep at all, did something happen?"

Mori took a while to process Mitsukuni's rambling and his question. '_Oh boy.' _ He never thought of what to say to his cousin! Now what? He knew that Mitsukuni would know if he lied to him, but he also had to honor the promise he had made to Haruhi. He had no idea what to tell the little blond.

As Mori was trying to get thoughts through his dazed mind, Satoshi stumbled in and ungracefully plopped down in the closest chair, putting his head on his arms and promptly falling asleep again. Hani got even more confused with this development, Satoshi was always energy personified. What could have happened to exhaust the ever energized Satoshi and his stoic brother?

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><p>Yasuchika was getting annoyed. Satoshi was normally out here by now. He was not really up to a fight with his alien brother, but they were going to be late if Satoshi did not hurry up. After a few moments, Hani came running outside – without his tall shadow. Chika frowned; those two were never apart. Was Takashi sick or something?<p>

Hani ran towards Chika even though he knew they were supposed to engage in battle anytime they came within sight of each other. The current situation was more important than that. Something was dreadfully wrong with both their cousins and he needed Chika's help.

* * *

><p>At the front gate of Ouran Academy, a certain host club King was waiting for his most trusted advisor to show up. He had gotten a brilliant idea for a future cosplay for the club and being Tamaki, couldn't wait to share it with Kyoya. Little did he know in how much mortal danger he was going to in that morning.<p>

The troublesome duo showed up before the Shadow king, and as per usual, had to rile up their king. It was after all their favorite pastime. Tamaki tended to freak out in the best of ways, which is why he was almost always the one on the receiving end of their merciless teasing. That morning, however, they did not even get a chance to start teasing him before the news had started to reach their side of the crowd.

"Hey have you heard about Fujioka-kun? They say he is the hospital! I wonder what happened. Did he get hurt saving a princess from a madman? *SQUEEL!*"

The fangirls were squealing and giggling loudly about the (supposed) heroics of their precious Haruhi-kun. None of them had noticed the shocked and terrified faces of the three hosts present.

As always Kyoya had impeccable timing, for that was the moment where he walked unto school grounds. Tamaki and the twins practically attacked him with questions, not even giving him a moment to breath before firing the next question. A dark purple aura of doom finally made them aware of the fact that their Vice-president was not in a good mood.

Tamaki decided to brave the storm anyway. "Mon ami, is it true? Is my precious daughter really in the hospital? And why did you not call me? My darling Haruhi must have been so alone and scared without Daddy to hold her hand during her hour of need!"

It really is a good thing that the four hosts had made their way to music room 3 before Tamaki's outburst. It would not do to have Haruhi's gender revealed because Tamaki could not keep his big mouth shut. Unfortunately, that also meant that Tamaki and the twins were the only ones to see Kyoya in 'Extremely Angry Shadowking' mode.

Just before Kyoya could give them a major tongue-lashing, Hani, Mori and both their brothers came in. The Morinozuka brothers looking more than a little worse for wear. The biggest surprise though, was the fact that Hani and Chika were not fighting and neither looked like they had been in a fight during the earlier morning either.

"Kyoya, we need your-" Hani was abruptly cut off by the look on Kyoya's face. If looks could kill, both Tamaki and the twins would be six feet under already. That was obvious in the way all three were cowering in the corner clutching onto each other for dear life. Not to mention Kyoya's murderous expression.

Hani gulped as he slowly crept closer to the angry Shadow king. He had to know what had happened to his friend and cousin, and also whether or not the rumors of Haruhi being in hospital was true. It had really upset the short blond when one of the regular host club customers had come up to him with tears in her eyes, asking if Haruhi-kun was really in the hospital because he had saved somebody?

Judging by the looks of Kyoya and his cousins, he surmised that something had indeed happened. Looking around, he did not see Haruhi anywhere and his fear escalated.

If Haruhi was not there, it meant that there was at least **some** truth in the rumors. Hani turned already-tear-filled eyes towards Kyoya in hopes of getting answers.

Kyoya and Mori locked eyes for a brief moment as though holding a silent conversation.

Satoshi was semi-passed out against the wall next to the door with Chika close by to prevent him from falling, should he fall asleep again as he had done on the way to school.

Mori sighed inwardly. It seems like he had been elected for the explanation, even though he had no idea who was actually a part of that decision. Mori was exhausted, but their friends deserved to know the truth (or at least a part of it).

He abruptly cut off Tamaki's whining by clearing his throat. Everyone turned to him in shock. Nobody (except his brother and cousins, and now Kyoya) had ever heard him speak more than in monosyllables.

He spoke in short sentences, only telling some of the bare facts. Yes, Haruhi is in hospital. No she did not save someone in some heroic deed. She is not in trouble (a lie, but he did not want to tell them the truth). Ranka does not know about it (since he IS still in a coma, but they don't know that yet).

Everybody stared at Mori when he was finished. Most of their mouths were hanging open. Kyoya sighed in temporary relief. All their annoying questions were making his headache worse. Now he had to try and convince them that they cannot skip school to go to Haruhi. '_Oh joy…'_

The silence that hung in the room was almost deafening. Tamaki was the first to brave the abyss that surrounded Mori's last statements. His eyes were shadowed and his fists clenched.

"What…do you mean?" he asked in a trembling voice. His question was met with silence. "So it's true then?" his shoulders started shaking. "My Haruhi is really in the hospital?"

Even if his face didn't show it, Mori felt bad for their 'king.' He felt even worse that he couldn't answer all of his liege's questions.

"How the hell did that happen?" Tamaki suddenly looked up at Mori with angry tear-filled eyes. "What the hell happened?!" Tamaki practically shouted. He ran up to Mori and took him by the collar. "She was with you, wasn't she? So how could you have let my precious Haruhi get hurt?!"

"Tama-chan…" Hani-senpai whispered from where he sat against the wall. He could feel Tamaki's righteous anger oozing off of him.

"Come on boss…calm down!" Kaoru insisted.

"Yeah, I'm sure everyone is wondering about the same things…" Hikaru joined in. "Like what was she doing before…"

"What happened before…" Kaoru added.

"…with whom she…"

"…the time at…"

"…which place she…"

"…she was with…"

"…what time it was…"

The twins were speaking simultaneously, but were horribly out of sync. Quite unusual for them.

Satoshi was surprised at how dire the situation had become, for even the twins were completely out of sync. He looked over at Kyoya and saw the slightest glimmer of surprise in his face as well. The twins were **never** out of sync.

"Calm down, Tamaki" Mori said softly.

"NO!" Tamaki refused. He shoved Mori away. Tamaki looked up at Kyoya and focused his death glare on him. Kyoya narrowed his eyes in response.

"I cannot tell you much now because of...the difficult circumstances surrounding this incident" Kyoya said, adjusting his glasses slightly, making the light reflect on the lenses, hiding his eyes. Tamaki grunted in frustration.

"Fine, if nobody will tell me anything, then I'll just find out myself!" Tamaki said as he stomped towards the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Kyoya asked. Tamaki stopped short in his tracks.

"What else? I'm going to see Haruhi! And you're not going to tell me I can't!" Tamaki said, pointing an accusing finger at Kyoya.

"It's probably not a good idea to fight with Kyo-chan' Hani pointed out. He also wanted to go see Haruhi, but he knew what Kyoya would say.

"You can't go" Kyoya said simply, as if his word was law in that instance.

"Why not? You can't stop me!" Tamaki spat, still furious.

"We're coming too boss!"

"Let us join you Boss!" The twins said simultaneously once again.

"I can't stop you, but 52 appointments and a massive debt of $250 000 to pay because of the last 'OHSHC Special Yacht Tour Extravaganza for the Ladies, can!" Kyoya stated as he pulled out a 3 meter long bill out of seemingly nowhere.

Mori saw the devastated look on Tamaki's face and instantly felt the need to salvage the situation.

"Haruhi's resting now. We should not disturb her" Mori said. When he saw that Tamaki was about to protest, he merely shook his head once. "We are the ones who know her situation best, so you can trust us. We can go by later."

Tamaki swayed. He still had some fight left in him, but relented on account of Mori's profound argument. It wasn't often when he heard Mori speak that much anyway, meaning that this was very important.

Tamaki covered his face with his hand. Then, in an elegant movement, he swiped his hair out of his face and a dashing debonair smile graced his face. It was part of a mask he was all too familiar with wearing.

"I will endure this day, for Haruhi!" Tamaki resolved, with sparkles surrounding him.

'_This is going to be a VERY long day.' _Kyoya sighed mentally at the sight of his best friend becoming his usual hyper self, even though he knew very well that it was only a mask.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, so I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! It was much longer that previous ones... Almost 13 pages in word... <strong>

**Alrighty, so only one reviewer had answered my question in the previous chapter. _Can I bring in a little supernatural in my story or would you (that is = my readers) like for me to keep it completely realistic?_ Please drop a review with your answer!**

**I.K. out ^_^**

**Edited: 3-29-2016**


	9. 9: Hospital Hostility

**Um... Hi there?... Please don't kill for not updating sooner? Pretty please? It seems like my muse decided to take a long vacation and completely changed her mind on the plotline of the story and adding three others as well... So yeah... I sincerely apologize for not updating sooner *hides***

* * *

><p><em>Tamaki covered his face with his hand. Then, in an elegant movement, he swiped his hair out of his face and a dashing debonair smile graced his face. It was part of a mask he was all too familiar with wearing. <em>

"_I will endure this day, for Haruhi!" Tamaki resolved._

'This is going to be a VERY long day_.' Kyoya sighed mentally at the sight of his best friend becoming his usual hyper self, even though he knew very well that it was only a mask._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9: Hospital Hostility<strong>

Haruhi woke slowly, feeling quite comfortable and warm. As her eyes adjusted to the sunlight and her other senses started waking up, she heard the insistent tapping of a keyboard. Thinking it must be Kyoya-senpai, she started looking around for her dark-haired senpai. She was thus very surprised to see not Kyoya, but Scar, sitting at the only table in the hospital room while typing away on a laptop.

Confused at why that stranger was in her hospital room, she decided to pretend that she had not woken up yet. Unfortunately for her, Scar had noticed her stirring earlier and chose that moment to look up and ask how she had slept that night.

"Fine thank you." After staring at each other for a few moments, Haruhi decided to ask outright why Scar was in her room.

"Why are you in here?" Scar smiled a bit sadly before answering.

"Don't you remember last night? I helped the Doc to calm you down and Emmy-chan refused to leave your side."

At the mention of Emmy-chan's name, Haruhi looked down and sure enough, there was the adorable little girl, curled up against her side. Watching Emmy sleep for a few more minutes all the previous night's events came rushing back to her all at once. She started to tremble as she remembered her father lying in a pool of his own blood in the alleyway. The sobbing started when the fact came that the doctor didn't know whether or not her father would wake up out of the coma he was currently in.

Without conscious thought, Haruhi leant into the warmth of the arms embracing her. She did not care at that moment who it was, the only thing that she cared about was that comfort was being offered.

Emmy had stirred when Haruhi started to shake. The second she began crying Emmy put her good arm around Haruhi's stomach as Scar sat on Haruhi's other side and enveloped her in a gentle embrace. Scar gently rocked them all back-and-forth as he waited for Haruhi to calm down a little.

Haruhi took quite some time to completely calm down and even when she was calm again, she was loath to give up the comfort that these two complete strangers were offering to her. Scar seemed to notice that and called Daichi to get the three of them something to eat since both girls had slept straight through breakfast.

"Yo Dai, can you get me and the girls somethin' to eat please?" Listening for the affirmative, Scar closed his phone.

Scar sat back and allowed Haruhi to recompose herself. After a few deep breathes, Haruhi enquired about Daichi and Scar's presence since she didn't know either of them.

Scar took his time to properly explain about all of the guards and why they were there at all.

"Haruhi, the guards are here for your protection. Because of the situation with the yakuza and with you father in hospital as well, I thought it might be best if you have some protection to prevent what had happened to Ranka-san to happen to you."

Scar did not explain _how_ he knew about the situation with the yakuza which made Haruhi frown, but she chose to stay silent about it.

As Scar wrapped up his explanation Daichi returned with croissants and orange juice.

"Good morning Boss, Ladies, I trust you slept well? I got you all some croissants and orange juice, I hope that is OK with everyone?"

Emmy shyly nodded her thanks as she shakily took her breakfast from Daichi's hand. Both Scar and Daichi smiled kindly at Emmy and Scar whispered a soft _'good job'_ in her ear as he passed Haruhi's food to her and dug into his own.

"By the way, Daichi, it's not exactly morning anymore, it's after 11 already." Scar said with a grin.

Haruhi couldn't believe that she had slept so late, not to mention that despite that, she still felt tired. After finishing brunch, Scar spoke to the girls about moving to his mansion on the outskirts of Tokyo; Emmy, because she had nowhere else to go, and Haruhi for safety reasons and the move would only be temporary for her.

"You girls will have to come and live at my mansion on the outskirts of town for a while. Safety reasons of course. Haruhi I really can't let you go back to your apartment with yakuza after you. And Emmy-chan, you will be living with me from now on anyway, so as soon as you both may go home, you will be released into my care."

Haruhi did not like that proposition AT ALL, but she was eventually convinced when it became clear that Emmy refused to go without her. Scar breathed an internal sigh of relief when Haruhi finally agreed; now he was glad that Emmy had practically glued herself to Haruhi's side. Scar could see the girls were getting sleepy again so he told them to get some more rest (while they had the chance); he knew that Haruhi's friends would ALL be visiting, so everyone would need to be as rested as possible.

Haruhi drifted off with Emmy in her arms, curled up like a kitten. She smiled slightly before sleep completely took a hold of her.

XXXXX

When Haruhi next woke up, it was to yelling outside her hospital room door and Emmy shaking like a leaf in her arms. Somehow, even though the yelling came from just outside, Haruhi could not make out what was being said. She did recognize Scar's voice (how she knew, she had no idea) as well as Tamaki's.

'_Oh, so THAT's the problem' _she thought. If it's Tamaki and the rest of the hosts, it would explain the loud yelling. With that thought in mind, she set about trying to calm Emmy-chan down; the poor girl was petrified.

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><p><strong>Outside the hospital room<strong>:

Scar was speaking to Daichi and Kei about the other child that Scar had brought in the night before when the hosts (in typical host club fashion) loudly announced their arrival. Scar's hidden eye twitched as Tamaki ranted about 'his precious daughter' being scared and unable to reach him in her hour of darkness.

Daichi and Kei could barely suppress their amusement at _that_ particular statement; however, when the twins loudly declared about having to see their _toy_ first, both men paled and fearfully looked at their boss and friend.

Scar could not believe the audacity of those _moronic rich imbecils_. How DARE they call a person a toy? That is unacceptable! He began seeing red and his fists clenched at his sides.

XXX

Completely oblivious to the danger they were unknowingly walking into, Hikaru and Kaoru walked in front of the other hosts. Just as Hikaru was exclaiming how happy _their toy _would be to see them, a very hard fist practically buried itself in each if the twins' cheeks.

Both twins flew back on to the other hosts, creating a domino-effect. The only one remaining standing was Mori, since he was walking behind everyone else and saw the rest falling. His quick reflexes saved him.

No one had even realized what happened yet when a deadly voice softly stated:

"Humans are NOT toys."

Mad that somebody had DARED to hit a Hittatchin, Hikaru flew up to retaliate when he saw exactly _what_ had hit them. He stared in horrified wonder at the thing (for surely that is not a human!) in front of him. Its eyes seemed to be glowing red and a deadly aura was swirling around it like a tornado.

"Who do you think you are? You can't keep us from seeing our toy, so move!" Hikaru was trying to hide his fear behind arrogance. BIG MISTAKE!

Before he could even blink, another fist shot out at him and hit him square in the jaw. Kaoru tried to get to his brother's aid, but before he could even reach him, an iron grip attached itself to his throat, as well as Hikaru's. The freaky guy said in that same soft, deadly voice:

"Allow me to show you what happens when people think of other people as **toys…"**

With that said, Scar dragged both twins off with him to wherever they needed to go.

Daichi and Kei breathed a sigh of relief as they released Mori and Hani. Those two were martial artists and might've tried to interfere; that would have been pure suicide! Tamaki had been completely terrified and Kyoya could honestly admit (at least to himself) that he did not have the skills to take on Scar in a fight.

Daichi spoke up as soon as Scar and his 'captives' were out of sight.

"Well, now that that is over, I just want to explain something. In that room with your friend is a little girl. Her name is Emmy-chan and she is not to be addressed in any other manner. Emmy-chan is an abuse-victim and is not comfortable with men or any people in general. Loud noises scare her, so please keep your voices down when in the room with her and keep your distance unless SHE approaches YOU. No physical contact with her unless _she_ initiates it.

"As for Fujioka-san, she might be in some pain from her wounds, so please approach her with the necessary caution. Does everybody understand?"

The hosts present were horrified at the thought of a little girl being abused. Kyoya and Mori, having seen Emmy's reaction to the room full of people the night before, now understood her actions better. Hani and Tamaki were both close to tears for the little girl they had never even seen before. Abuse is not something commonplace in high society, so it upset them greatly to hear that a child, a GIRL, had been subjected to such cruelty.

All of nodded their acceptance at Daichi.

Satisfied, Daichi allowed them to go in and see their friend and secret princess.

* * *

><p><strong>With Scar and the twins:<strong>

At some point, the choke-hold that Scar had on both twins was switched to their ears. Neither twin particularly felt like trying to protest, their lives were on the line! Scar dragged them all the way to the pediatric wing's private rooms. He stopped in front of a door and angrily pushed their faces to the window in the door.

"Do you see that child? Do know that he was beaten within an inch of life by his own father yesterday? All you see now are bandages, do you want to know what I saw when I found him?"

He pulled a file out of the rack besides the door and took out some pictures. Before showing them the pictures, Scar continued yelling.

"THIS is what happens when a person sees someone else as a toy! Take a good look and tell me if you like what you see! TELL ME!"

Hikaru and Kaoru both held two pictures each. Hikaru paled visibly as he looked at it while Kaoru rushed to the restroom to empty his stomach. Neither had known what to expect, so the pictures were naturally very upsetting.

Hikaru kept his horrified stare on the picture in front of him as Scar picked up the pictures that Kaoru had dropped when he ran off.

"Well? Do you like what you see?" Scar asked Hikaru in quieter tones. Hikaru couldn't answer. He had never seen something like that before, not even heard of it, but knew he _definitely _did not like what he saw. He shook his head and his hand went limp along with his knees.

Scar put away the pictures and the file. He looked at the redhead before him, hoping that he had gotten his point across. The other one would be more cautious in the future if his reaction was any indication, but the one sitting in front of him; well, he could only hope.

When Kaoru got back, Scar asked him whether he had liked what he saw. Kaoru couldn't speak, so he only shook his head. After a few minutes of trying to pull themselves together, Kaoru asked Scar a question that had been bugging him since Scar had told them how the boy ended up in hospital.

"How could someone do something like that?"

Scar just answered with a question of his own: "How could you call your best friend a toy?"

Kaoru wasn't sure how the two subjects were related and stated as much. Rolling his eyes at the idiocy of the upper-class, Scar continued.

"The boy's father saw him as nothing more than a toy; something to relieve his boredom. Do you think the kid liked it?"

Kaoru shook his head in the negative once again.

"Do you think Haruhi likes it when her best friends see her as nothing more than a mere toy, something to be replaced when you get bored with her? You two are her best friends, yet you keep telling her that she really means nothing to you. How? Because you keep calling her your toy, and she knows that toys can be replaced. Grow up a little."

Having said his piece, Scar turned his back on them and walked back to Haruhi's room, knowing the twins would follow – eventually.

Neither Hikaru nor Kaoru had ever thought of it that way. They did not realize that they had unconsciously told Haruhi that she held no value to them. Both felt ashamed at their words and actions. They got their wits together before they headed back towards Haruhi's hospital room.

* * *

><p><strong>Back in Haruhi's room:<strong>

The hosts – sans twins – walked into Haruhi's room with minimum fanfare, that is, until Tamaki saw her bandaged arms.

"My precious daughter! What happened to you? Why have you not called Daddy to come see you earlier, you must have been so lonely!"

Tamaki had barely taken two steps towards the hospital bed when Mori grabbed his collar and Hani blocked his path.

"Senpais, what are you doing? I simply wanted to greet my daughter."

'_Seriously? How can anybody be THAT clueless?' _Hani thought as he glared at the younger man. Mori simply shook his head and pointed past Tamaki to the little girl shaking and crying in Haruhi's arms. Tamaki shrunk back from the death-glares he received from all his friends as well as Haruhi.

In softer tones he apologized for scaring the little girl, after all, he didn't mean to; he was only worried about Haruhi. All the others merely shook their heads at him. Hani then proceeded to softly introduce himself and his tall cousin to Emmy-chan, being careful to keep his voice kind and staying a respectable distance away from the bed.

Emmy had calmed down a little when Tamaki had stopped yelling. She was grateful to the small boy and the tall man for preventing the yelling blond to come any closer. He scared her. She thanked Haruhi in her head for providing a safe place for her to hide when she was so scared.

Haruhi was NOT amused. She had noticed the night before that Emmy did not like people all that much. When Emmy started crying in earnest because of Tamaki's yelling, she nearly lost it. Emmy is such a sweet little girl and she had offered comfort to Haruhi when she had needed it; without even really knowing her. Haruhi wanted to return the favor for her, that's why she had immediately hugged Emmy-chan close before Tamaki had even made his entrance.

Haruhi nodded her thanks towards Mori-senpai and Hani-senpai for keeping Tamaki away from them. She then greeted Kyoya-senpai who simply watched the debacle from the window, not wanting to get into the middle of things should a fight have broken out.

Being the gentleman he was supposed to be, Kyoya properly introduced himself to Emmy while not moving from his spot at the window.

"So, where are Hikaru and Kaoru? I kind of expected them to barge in right after Tamaki-senpai." Haruhi said in her usual blunt manner.

Before anyone really had a chance to try and answer, Kei came in and answered for them.

"The Boss tossed them around a little due to their insensitive remarks. He also took them downstairs to help reinforce his point. Don't worry, though, aside from a black eye each, they should be fine. The Boss does not react violently to just anything, but when he does, it's usually justified."

Emmy nodded her agreement to Kei's last statement. She had only ever seen Scar-sama react with violence once, and that was only to protect her. At any other given time he was nothing but kind and considerate to everyone.

Shortly after, Scar came in with a smile on his face. "Getting along kids?" he asked with a grin. He knew that after the little display in the hallway earlier they would not trust him near the girls. Not that he really cared what they thought of him. He did things his own way as he saw fit, and in the best interest of the people under his protection.

For a little while the conversation was halting with long silences in-between. Scar mentally rolled his eyes. '_Idiots, like I would ever hurt either of those girls.' _Stretching in a manner that made his spine crack, Scar spoke up.

"Well, I'm going to check on my other patient real quick, will you girls be alright?" Scar knew the hosts did not want him near their friend, so he decided to relent and let them catch up. He could trust his own men to keep those crazy rich kids in line if it became necessary.

Scar couldn't help but grin at the obvious relief on Tamaki and Hani's faces. They made it so easy to tease them. They probably did not even realize how obvious their relief was. Ohtori and Morinozuka at least managed to hide their expressions, even though Scar could still tell that they, too, were glad that he was leaving.

As Scar turned to walk back out, Hikaru and Kaoru came in, looking composed, but a little worse for wear. Both twins gave Scar a wide birth as they moved passed him into the room. Scar gave one more semi-malicious grin in their direction before stepping out and went to find Yuichi-sensei.

XXX

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><p>Hikaru and Kaoru were surprisingly quiet after greeting Haruhi and asking who the little girl was. Neither could get the horrendous pictures out of their minds. It had really shocked them to their very cores, making it hard for them to really think of anything else clearly.<p>

Haruhi had shown a little concern, but Kei had been quick to assure her that they are merely in a slight state of shock. Hearing that, Haruhi felt better, but was still curious about what exactly could shock her eccentric friends into silence like that.

The hosts had only been there for an hour in total before a nurse came in to check on the girls. All the hosts were quickly shooed out of the room but Kei was allowed to stay which caused quite a riot from the hosts.

The nurse quickly and efficiently explained that Kei was under Scar's order and since Emmy-chan was to live with them from then on, that Kei needed to know how to take care of the little girl's wounds; wisely she had refrained from telling them that Haruhi would also be living with the 'dangerous duo' for a while as Scar had asked her to.

"Scar is not going to be too happy about this, Kei-kun. You know he doesn't like outsiders to interfere, especially ones of this social-class." The nurse quickly and urgently whispered to Kei.

Kyoya, being the last one out of the room, had heard the comment, but did not know what to make of it. Hearing nothing more, he closed the door fully and walked the short distance to the waiting room where the other hosts were already waiting.

The nurse quickly went about checking the cast on Emmy-chan's arm again and the bandages on her legs. The burns on her legs were healing nicely, but it will leave scars. The nurse knew that Kei and all the others working under him and Scar had some form of medical training, but they always made sure what to do in each individual case since there were sometimes minor changes that they have to be aware of.

When the nurse checked Haruhi's stitches and bandages, Kei nearly cringed. It had been a while since he had seen someone get so _creative_ with razorblades. He had seen much worse of course, but still; he usually didn't work with the knife/sharp-objects patients.

The wounds without stitches were cleaned and everything re-bandaged. Kei thanked the nurse and asked whether she might be able to predict when the girls could leave.

"If the doctor is happy then they might be able to leave by tomorrow. But that is only what I think, so don't get your hopes up until Doctor came to give you the all-clear, ok?"

Kei simply nodded and smiled at the girls. Haruhi looked a little sleepy, but she refused to sleep until she had seen the doctor. In light of that, Kei politely asked the nurse to send the rest of Haruhi's friends back in while they awaited the doctor.

One question ran fleetingly through Kei's mind: _'Where did Scar disappear to? He had already checked his other patient earlier, so where is he really?'_

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><p><strong>Thanks again to my amazing beta: Kerilou95! I really couldn't have finished this without her! I should really not have to do this again, but:<strong>

** I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM OHSHC ONLY THE PLOT AND ALL THE OC'S ARE MINE!**

**So, drop a review if you want to! Thanks for all you awesome people for being so patient with me!**

**Kitty**

**Edited: 3-29-2016**


	10. 10: Plans and Mixed Feelings

**Hey All! I got some good news and some bad news... The good news is: Chapter 10 is here! Yay! Bad news: I have no idea when I will be able to update next... I will try my absolute best not to make you all wait 3 more months, but I can make no promises...**

**Thanks for everyone who had answered the question about the supernatural. I kinda forgot to say that in the previous chapter... So most of you have said to keep it as realistic as possible, so I will try.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><em>One question ran fleetingly through Kei's mind:<em> 'Where did Scar disappear to? He had already checked his other patient earlier, so where is he really?'

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10: Plans and Mixed Feelings<strong>

Scar sat idly in Yuichi Ohtori-sensei's office while waiting for him to complete his rounds. '_Poor guy, he is probably exhausted after yesterday's excitement.'_ Scar thought while staring unseeing at a poster of the human body against the wall.

After only a few short minutes Yuichi came in to speak with Scar. He had known that Scar would probably want to see him in regards to Haruhi as well as Emmy-chan. Sitting down, Yuichi waited for Scar to start talking since it was generally easier to just let the fifteen year old speak first than to have to repeat everything twice. He was not disappointed.

"Hey Doc, I have a question. That brother of yours, Kyoya, is he, well…how do I put this?... Is he like….sane…no that's not the right word…um, is he…does he…. What I mean to say is: Does he really care about his friends or is he one of those 'me-myself-and-I are all that matter' type of people?"

Yuichi was stunned. Of all things, he did NOT expect THIS question. Blinking once, twice, ok now that the question had been properly processed, now he can start to think of a suitable answer. Yuichi took a long look at Scar to see what the kid was thinking for asking such a question only to see that Scar was not even really paying attention to him at all.

Yuichi was well aware of the trouble and torture that Scar himself had had to endure for a long time before he managed to pull himself out and decided to do for abused kids what nobody had done for him. In remembrance to the nearly-dead child dumped on the hospital's doorstep some years back, Yuichi suddenly understood the seemingly strange question.

Scar was merely trying to protect Haruhi from the path Scar had been forced to walk – littered with people who pretended to care only to use him and then stab him in the back later on.

Scar was so lost in thought that he didn't even realize that Yuichi was staring at him. In and of itself, it was strange for Scar to be so unaware of his surroundings. Considering his past, Scar was always almost super aware and never caught off-guard by anything. His life had been on the line far too many times to allow him to let down his guard in such a manner.

The doctor stared at Scar until the teen looked up. Yuichi saw what he only seen a bare handful of times before: vulnerability. Scar very rarely let his true feelings show in eyes (especially something like fear or insecurity). The fact that he allowed the doctor to see it meant that he was REALLY worried about whatever he had been thinking about.

Scar knew that Yuichi could be trusted; the doctor had proven that multiple times already, so he felt safe enough to share his fears with him and started talking:

"Doc, what happens after the week? I mean, those guys won't give up just because the time-limit ran out. There are really only 2 ways and neither way is acceptable. 1. Give them what they want, or 2. Kill the mastermind…

"What am I supposed to do Doc? Haruhi cannot be hidden forever and even if she gets married now, they will just kill her husband and she will be right back at square 1 with the added guilt of being the reason for someone's death."

Scar bit his thumbnail in a nervous habit that he had displayed often when Yuichi had first met him years ago. Yuichi was very glad that he was not the one in that situation, but because of that, he had not the vaguest clue what to tell the distressed teenager in front of him. Lucky for him, Scar didn't really expect an answer from him.

"Well, no use worrying about that now I guess." Scar continued. "When do you think that the girls will be released? We need to make preparations at home." Scar huffed "Especially since I sincerely doubt that Haruhi's 'friends' will let her out of their sights."

Yuichi stared in amusement at Scar's irritated face at the thought of being stuck with the rich kids at his house. When Scar looked up in question Yuichi said that the girls might be able to leave the following day if all goes right.

"Hey Doc? Will it be safe to take your brother along? Is he safe enough for the kids? Or do I have to lock him in the basement to protect my kids from him?" Scar had dark shadows in his eyes as he waited for the shocked doctor to gather his wits enough to actually give him an answer.

Yuichi was shocked at the way the question was asked, not really at the question itself. He gave a sad smile as he gave his answer.

"Kyoya is too much like Father, but he has a good heart underneath the cold exterior he puts up. It is very hard to get to know him for real since he never shows his true self. I have had sixteen years of observation-time, but you have only known him for a few hours. Don't judge him too harshly ok?"

"You know sensei, every single time you mention your old man, it makes me hate him even more. I'm just glad you found who you really are instead of trying to be what _he_ wants you to be. You're a good man sensei, never forget that."

With those last words, Scar turned and walked out towards the exit. He had calls to make and people to warn of the 8 new people coming home with him. With a deep sigh, Scar made a wish: _'Please don't let them hurt the kids. If they do, I won't be able to control __**that **__anymore. Please let me make the right choices to protect the kids…'_

'_Oh Scar… You are much more like Kyoya than you realize, that is most likely why you don't want to trust him…' _Yuichi thought in the back of his mind.

**Haruhi's room:**

It was time for the hosts to leave, but none of them wanted to leave Haruhi alone. They were all weary of Scar - and in turn - also his men. Kei and Daichi noticed this but didn't say or do anything about it, that was why Scar was the Boss and they were just the underlings.

The nurse came back only to find all of them still in the room. Angrily she tried to shoo them out, but with no success. She was getting really upset with them when Ohtori-sensei came in and raised an eyebrow at the six other teenagers in the room. He knew they were all very overprotective of their only female friend, but he had to check on both girls and he couldn't do that with all the men in the room.

Kyoya was the first to notice the look his eldest brother sent their way and decided to relent. He grabbed Tamaki's collar as he passed the blond on his way out. Mori and Hani saw that and, grabbing one twin each, left after.

Yuichi chuckled at their antics before he turned to the girls. He was infinitely patient with Emmy-chan and Haruhi could not help but admire the stark difference between Kyoya-sempai and his brother. Yuichi gave Haruhi a quick checkup since the nurse had already cleaned Haurhi's wounds and declared them both fit to leave the next day as soon as he saw them the next morning again.

"If everything is still good tomorrow, you may both go home, but Haruhi, you will have to go with Scar. No matter why, you did still do this to yourself, so I won't feel right leaving you by yourself.

"Scar has a lot of experience with dealing with any types of situations that might arise: panic-attacks, blackouts, suicide-attempts, wound-care etc. That is why I am going to release you into his care. There seems to be situations which Scar is aware of that you might not be, so he has also taken precaution for your safety.

"Emmy-chan, Scar will be your legal guardian from now on, so you will also be living with him and his family. Do you understand what all of that means?"

At Emmy-chan's nod, Yuichi smiled and said he would see them the next morning to sign their release-papers.

"You are lucky that the school-break starts tomorrow, so you won't have to worry about school-work while you recover." Yuichi aimed that statement at Haruhi who only gave a half-hearted nod.

When Yuichi left the room, the hosts were all still right outside the door. Not surprising really, but it was when Kaoru asked if they may go back in, that Yuichi noticed the forming of a black eye on each of the twins. He blinked in surprise, but said nothing of it, instead stating that Haruhi would be released the next morning so they could not go back into her room.

"She needs her rest if she is going to be well enough to leave tomorrow. And by looks of you, some of you need rest as much as Fujioka-chan does." The last statement was sent towards Kyoya and Mori who did not miss the look the doctor sent them.

Amidst the loud arguments from the twins and Tamaki, Scar came back. He didn't waste any time to inform Yuichi that everything would be ready for the girls at his home when they are released. That, of course, sent Tamaki over the edge. He started yelling about the impropriety of the very idea. He had no idea that Scar had an entire house full of other kids ranging from 3years old to 18 years. Both boys and girls are included in those numbers.

The twins immediately turned on the doctor to demand how he could possibly send their secret princess into a lion's den. Yuichi and Scar merely waited for them to run out of steam. Kyoya spoke up the second the other three stopped long enough to take a breath.

"Haruhi can go with one of us; there is no reason for her to go with _him._" He clearly did not like Scar at all and it showed both in his eyes and the way he spoke about Scar.

Scar was unfazed by the outbursts. He calmly stared at Kyoya until he finally let Scar speak.

"If you actually paid any attention last night, you would remember that I do know what she is up against. You – on the other hand – do NOT. I have the resources and the plans and the space to take care of the situation quickly and quietly. You only have your private police force, which I might add, is perfectly useless in this situation.

"I can get into places your little cluster of cops couldn't even get close to. I know people that you don't even know exist. I have access to buildings and blueprints that is said to have been destroyed. The only thing you will be able to do, is to make them run. If they run, they go underground; if they go underground, not even I will be able to find them. Now do you understand why she has to come with me?"

Everyone openly stared at Scar as he finished his little speech. Even Yuichi had not thought that the situation was THAT dire. He knew of Scar and his 'resources' but had no idea that not even his family's police force would be able to be of any help. Then again, it wouldn't be the first time that Scar and his crew handled something that the local police were either unaware of or could do nothing about due to a lack of evidence, so he let it go.

Hikaru was the first to break the stunned silence. He had no idea what Scar was talking about with what Haruhi was up against, but there was no way he was abandoning his best friend.

"Then I'm coming too! There is no way I am going to leave Haruhi to go with this, this, GUY here!"

Tamaki and Kaoru immediately agreed as did Hani. Mori and Kyoya were less outspoken, but both nodded at the fact that they are not letting Haruhi go with Scar alone.

Inwardly Scar grimaced. He knew it would come to this from the moment he had heard that it was Haruhi in the hospital. The only thing he could do was to hope and pray that bringing these crazy rich kids to the house would not be something he would regret later. The kids were his life, and if anything happened to them because of his decision to bring these guys home… Well, he would never be able to live with himself.

Kei knew that Scar would have already planned for that to happen, so he spent the duration of the argument studying all the new houseguests. He already placed Haninozuka and Morinozuka as the safest guys for the kids. The tall blond and the twins were classified as 'most dangerous' because of their attitudes and personalities. Kei had difficulty with placing the Ohtori in one of the categories.

'_That guy… He is so much like the Boss. He doesn't show his real emotions or reactions… That could be bad; we'll have to keep a close eye on him when he is around any of the kids.'_

Kei sighed inwardly as he made the observations. All of the kids had dark, painful pasts, and he was deeply afraid that these people in front of him might hurt them, even unintentionally since they obviously had no idea how to handle themselves in any situation other than that of their own social class.

Turning his gaze to Scar, he couldn't help but wonder how his Boss-and-friend was handling this. The kids were the only reason that Scar was even still with them. If something were to happen to one of them, Kei was terrified that Scar would lose his inner battle. If that ever happened, the world would never be safe. Kei shuddered at the thought.

'_How in the world does Scar handle this kind of pressure all the time? I only found out about this now and I'm already scared, how can she stand it?'_

With that in mind, Kei's respect for Scar grew even bigger. Little did he realize that Daichi and his current partner were having the same kinds of thoughts. Daichi hadn't left the hospital at all. He had slept a few hours the night before with Scar taking over the watch for that time. The other guards had switched every 3-4 hours.

Just as another argument was about to break out, Scar raised his voice.

"If you are not here by six tomorrow morning, you will be left behind. That is all, now go home."

Scar turned to Yuichi to speak with him about the care needed for Haruhi and Emmy-chan. The hosts did not want to leave, but Kei, Daichi and the other guard escorted them out none too gently.

Kei decided to speak up before everyone scattered for the night.

"Guys, the Boss knows what he is doing. He will take good care of your friend; there is really no need for you guys to be so riled up. If you really insist on coming home with us, you will need your rest in order to be up early tomorrow.

"Morinozuka-san and Haninozuka-san, if you do come along, you may bring your siblings along if they do not have supervision at home."

Mori nodded in affirmative as did Hani. Their parents were out of town (in Mori's case) or will be leaving in the next few hours (Hani's parents).

"In that case, you boys should go and pack. Pack for a week." It was the first words heard by the other guard. He was taller and bigger than even Mori. Daichi and Kei nodded at the words and figured the timeline should be fine.

Very reluctantly, the hosts turned around and walked to their own waiting limos. Tamaki and Kyoya rode together since they came directly after host club hours.

Tamaki was quiet the whole ride over. He briefly talked to Kyoya and decided that it would be best that he stayed over at Kyoya's house for the night. That way, it saved the time it would have taken to drive over to pick him up. 2 hours later and 3 suitcases heavier, they finally reached the Ohtori-mansion.

XXX

Hikaru and Kaoru sat in silence for a few minutes before Hikaru couldn't hold it any longer.

"JUST WHO DOES THAT GUY THINK HE IS! Thinking he can just waltz in there and order us all around! And what is with the whole 'I-know-something-you-don't' attitude? Haruhi is OUR friend not his, so how can she be in trouble without us knowing about it? It's got to be some kind of lie!"

Kaoru stayed quiet through the entire rant, too lost in thought to really pay attention to his twin at the time. Hikaru was too busy ranting and spitting out obscenities to notice the lack of attention.

Kaoru's mind was focused on the pictures that Scar had shown him earlier. He was wondering if there was going to be others like the little boy at Scar's house and –if so- how they were supposed to act around children that had been hurt in such a cruel manner. In light of that, their own problems suddenly seemed so small and unimportant.

Getting to their shared bedroom, both twins packed two suitcases each.

XXX

Mori was lost in his own thoughts. How was he going to convince Satoshi to go with him instead of just staying at home? Unlike normal, Mori found it hard to focus on one thought. It could just be from a lack of sleep as well. What should he pack? How much should he take? Would he need any extra supplies? Etc…

Hani looked at his tall cousin. It had been obvious to him, that Takashi knew something when he had not protested that Haru-chan should go with a complete stranger. Maybe it had something to do with last night and Takashi's lack of sleep? Hani wondered what he should tell his parents about where he and Chika were going to stay. They said to pack for a week, so he didn't need much stuff; one bag should do it.

Reaching Mori's house first, it was decided that he and Satoshi would stay at Mitsukuni's house for the night. That way, they could leave directly for the hospital.

Both seniors were wondering just why they had to be there so EARLY. Shaking their heads at the mystery, Mori quickly went to find Satoshi, and pack.

When the brothers came back, both had managed to pack only one bag each with the addition of their bokken (**a/n: Not sure if this is the right word for the wooden swords used in kendo.)**

XXX

**At the hospital:**

"Boss, are you sure this is a good idea?"

"What about the kids? Those morons obviously have no idea how to handle violence-victims, what if someone gets hurt?"

Scar stood before his three most trusted men. He knew that honesty would be the only thing that could set their minds at ease now. Knowing that, he took the chance.

"No, it's not a good idea. I know that, but I can't let Haruhi go with one of them. Also, I have to go home, so I cannot just take them all to the other safe house, otherwise I would have.

"There is no way they will ever let Haruhi come with us alone either, especially not since that little scene with the twins. We will just have to be even more alert and on guard than usual.

I realize that I am asking a lot from you guys this time, but I have already been gone too long, the kids will wonder what happened if I don't go to see them soon.

The kids will be in danger, there is no way around the truth of that. They need to be protected, but so does Haruhi. Will you help me?"

The men looked at Scar and saw raw emotion in his eyes, something that he only let anybody see if it was important (and sometimes not even then). In light of that, they all simply nodded their agreement. Scar sighed in relief. His thanks was heartfelt towards his friends.

"Alright then! Let's get going. We need to get everything in order at home and let the kids know. Dai, let the other guards know to change hospitals to where Ryuji-san is- tonight if possible; me, Kei and Rex will keep watch tonight. Make sure that the guys you place with Ryuji-san know the drill and will not slack on the job.

"Rex, take the first watch. Kei, how's the funeral plans coming along? It needs to be finalized before we leave tomorrow. I will call home and let everyone know what is going on. Oh yeah, Rex, will you call the limos for tomorrow?"

All gave the affirmative for orders received. They all knew that Scar had the hardest job of them all. Convincing Sonny and Bunny to let strangers who are not victims into the house had never been an easy task. Not even to mention that it will be 9 this time – all at once. No one envied Scar _that particular_ job.

Scar made some more quick arrangements to go and pick up clothes for Haruhi. He could call Sonny or Bunny during the ride over to Haruhi's place.

'_Tomorrow is NOT going to be an easy day… Please don't let anyone get hurt….' _That was the thought that went through Scar and all his men's minds. After all, the safety of the kids was, and always will be, their top priority.

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><p><strong>Thanks to Kerilou95 for proofreading this chapter too! I really couldn't do it without you! And also, Thanks a million to all the people who have reviewed, faved or followed this story! I won't name you all one by one, I'm afraid I might miss someone, but just: THANKS A LOT!<strong>

**Drop a review if you want ;-)**

**Kitty out!**


	11. 11: Insanity on the road

**Hey all... *peeks around corner* My deepest apology for the LATE update... Please don't kill me for it?**

**So... Here in the 11th chapter (never thought it would become so long! I thought maybe like 8-10 chapters, that is, until I actually started writing..)**

**IMPORTANT**** NOTE: I AM PUTTING THIS FIC _TEMPORARILY _ON HOLD. **

**You see, there is this little thing known as _reality _that is catching up to me... so yeah... I'm not sure when I'll resume it, but is should (hopefully) not be later than January 2015. So I'll apologize in advance, but I WILL finish it! So don't give up on it ok?**

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><p><em>Scar made some more quick arrangements to go and pick up clothes for Haruhi. He could call Sunny or Bunny during the ride over to Haruhi's place.<em>

'Tomorrow is NOT going to be an easy day… Please don't let anyone get hurt….'_ That was the thought that went through Scar and all his men's minds. After all, the safety of the kids was, and always will be, their top priority._

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><p><strong>Chapter 11: Insanity on the Road<strong>

Yuichi Ohtori, respected doctor and confident of a very dangerous group of people, had been at the hospital since 5am and had checked both Emmy-chan and Fujioka-chan to make sure that they are both fit to leave the hospital. He had signed their release forms just a few moments earlier.

Yuichi looked at the fifteen year old walking beside him. He simply couldn't understand how one so young could handle so much pressure every single day without cracking. Yuichi had nothing but the utmost respect for the grown-up child. Scar had nearly been killed time and time again when helping some of the kids in his care, and yet there he goes, sticking it out and helping even more of those children even though the danger keeps on getting bigger and bigger.

Scar was acutely aware of Yuichi-sensei staring at him. It did make him a little uncomfortable, but he had been at the wrong side of the 'Game' way too long to allow his discomfort to show. Learning how to hone your senses in a way that lets you be aware of everything, yet not letting anyone else know that you know was the first skill of instinct that he had developed.

When they reached the girl's room, Yuichi grabbed Scar's shoulder lightly.

"Are you sure you guys can handle this?" Yuichi was worried, but questioning Scar was never really productive if you wanted straight answers.

Scar turned back to the doctor. "You know I'm not." With that, Scar entered Haruhi's room to tell them that it was time to leave. Yuichi was surprised that he actually got answer, but the more pressing matter was that he didn't like the answer he had been given.

XXX

At exactly 5:50am, 5 limos were parked at Tokyo General Hospital. Two were empty except for the drivers; the other 3 contained the hosts plus Satoshi and Yasuchika.

Just as the hosts got out of their respective cars, Scar came out of the hospital with Haruhi and Emmy-chan in tow. The girls were taken to one of Scar's limos, much to Tamaki's distress. He had wanted to ride with his 'precious daughter' to 'keep her from being afraid of the scary people.'

Kei rolled his eyes at the idiot blond before he turned to Morinozuka to inquire about their luggage. _'Three suitcases for only one person? Oh joy…'_

'_Ugh, now I remember why Scar hates rich people… At least the Morinozuka and Haninozuka brothers only have one bag each.'_

Tamaki had packed what looked like a month's worth of clothes, the twins had two suitcases each and kyoya seemed like he had taken space into consideration with only one bag.

'_Surprising really… I kinda expected him to be one to over-pack like the others. Huh, miracles do happen.' _ Rex thought with a practiced blank face.

That was only until Kyoya's driver took out another bag which seemed to carry Kyoya's entire arsenal of tech: laptop, extra cellphone (why exactly?), satellite phone, tracking devices etc. that's Kyoya for you, always prepared for whatever is to come.

The biggest problem was that Tamaki had decided that he simply couldn't leave his beloved Antoinette behind. Daichi and Tamaki had gotten into a verbal thrashing match - (with Daichi doing the thrashing and the blond only trying defend – without success) - over the subject until Scar decided it was time to break it up.

Scar stared at the golden retriever for a long moment before he spoke to her.

"Sit." A simple command delivered with all the authority of a drill-Sargent. The dog immediately followed the command. No trace of her unlimited energy present as she waited for the next order.

"Down." Antoinette lay flat on her belly with her head on her paws.

"Hm, let's see…" a mutter came from Scar as he walked a few steps away before a sharp "Heel." met Antoinette's ears. Like the loyal animal she represented, Antoinette jogged to Scar's side and kept in step with him.

Tamaki seemed close to tears as his loyal companion followed the other boy's orders with no hesitation at all when Tamaki couldn't even get her to sit still for more than a second.

Unknown to all the others, Scar was very much aware of Tamaki's feelings of betrayal towards his dog. He gave an evil little smirk before he gave the dog the order "Away."

Antoinette bounded up to Tamaki and covered him in sloppy wet kisses, as though she had not just followed someone else around.

"Well, she certainly isn't military-standard, but considering who her owner is, I guess that is understandable. Fine, she can come along. As long as you don't come complaining to me if she ends up with puppies later."

With that said, Scar turned to Hani, Mori and their brothers. The others only gaped at Scar and back at the suddenly hyper dog, not really knowing what to think of the sudden change.

"You four will go with the girls along with Daichi and Kei. I'll go with the rest of 'em along with Rex and the dog. See y'all at the house. Kei, I can trust you'll explain everything on your side?"

At Kei's nod, Scar turned right into the fire that is Tamaki. Tamaki started yelling and generally throwing a tantrum about being separated from his 'precious daughter' and demanding he be the one to ride with her.

"I simply MUST ride with my precious daughter! You cannot separate a father from his daughter in such a heartless way!" With all the drama and flare, Tamaki had tears running down his face. Scar's men promptly burst out laughing at the crazy bond. Even shy little Emmy-chan was shaking with silent laughter.

Scar merely raised an eyebrow at all the craziness around him, but did not give any other reaction. He was surprised that Emmy-chan was laughing, but since she was standing next to Haruhi, a little ways away, he decided it must be Haruhi's presence keeping the little girl calm.

"Ok y'all get the cars loaded and let's go!" Scar completely ignored all the complaints from the hosts that were assigned to ride with him. Haruhi and Emmy-chan were the first to be herded into the car by Daichi. After the girls were in, the other guys didn't take too long to follow.

When Tamaki tried to insert himself in between Mori and Haruhi, Scar grabbed him and twisted his arm painfully behind his back. Even Scar's own men, were surprised by the sudden action, but made no move to try and stop their Boss.

"Ah-ah, you're coming with me. Haru-chan will be perfectly safe with your martial-artist friends with her. My men will never raise their hands to a woman unless she proves a danger. Now you will stay quiet and get in the other car. Do you understand?" Scar spoke quietly right next to Tamaki's ear.

Tamaki didn't want to ride with this seemingly crazy person, but at the glares he got from Scar, his men and also Kyoya, he decided to relent, for now. He gave a weak nod and sighed in relief when Scar let go of his arm.

Mori lightly shook his head at Tamaki's craziness, before he proceeded to get in the car. Hani and Satoshi followed soon after. The rest came along when they saw that no fight was about to break out again.

The first car set off and the rest of the hosts, not wanting to get left behind, jumped into the remaining car with Rex and Scar. As soon as the driver set off, Scar began talking.

"Ok, listen up you simpletons! Where we are going, there are more children like Emmy-chan. They are all, and I mean ALL OF THEM, are victims of abuse, torture, neglect, or living on the streets for longer than a year."

All around there were sharp intakes of breath. It was clear that none of them had expected that. Rex kept a close eye on the Ohtori's reaction. He was the one they needed to look out for, for any wrong kind of behavior. The other three were 'known-danger' cards and will be under close scrutiny as well. None of the four boys in front of him will be allowed to be left alone with any of the kids at any given time.

After the initial shock had slightly sunk in, and the reactions noted, Scar continued.

"You will treat all of those kids with respect. You will not raise your voice or your hands to any of them. Their mental states are very fragile in some cases, so be very careful with what you do or say around them.

"The girls especially tend to shy away from physical contact, so keep your flowery words and your hands to yourself. It goes without saying that you will not try to charm any of them. Genuine compliments are allowed, but don't insult them in any way. Some of them had been subjected to sexual abuse.

"Now you listen to me good, all of you. If **any** of you, in **any **way harm one of the kids in my care, I will not hesitate to put a bullet in your brain. Those kids are and always will be my first priority, you people, are not. Insult them, and you will most likely find yourself duct taped to the basement ceiling.

"I am **always** armed. I have eyes and ears everywhere. My men might be slightly more lenient, but I will not. You hurt a kid, I hurt you. It's plain and simple enough that even you simple-minded people should understand it. If you cannot be removed from the premises, you will be locked either in your room or the basement. Am I understood?"

Tamaki and Hikaru were not very appreciative of the direct threats. They didn't deem it necessary, as they did not think that they would or could be a danger to anybody. After all, they were self-proclaimed gentlemen.

Kaoru was quiet after Scar's little speech. He was feeling more than slightly nervous, since he had no idea how to handle any kind of abuse-victims. What if he did or said something wrong? He didn't want to hurt somebody, accidently or not.

Kyoya did what he did best. He observed all of his friend's reactions and the reactions of the two strangers. He could tell that neither Scar nor Rex were happy with Tamaki or Hikaru. Somehow, Kaoru seemed to take Scar's words the most seriously. '_Had something happened to make Kaoru react like that?' _

Kyoya himself was not too comfortable with the idea of sharing living space with abuse-victims, but he will do his best to keep himself from doing anything harmful to any of them – even though he had no idea what was considered 'harmful' to people who had survived something so terrible.

Scar sighed internally. He did NOT look forward to the coming week. It had only been half an hour and he was already tired of those spoilt, rich brats. How exactly was he supposed to survive with all of these crazies running around his one and only place of relative peace?

XXX

**With Haruhi and the others:**

Haruhi took a good look at the two men who had gotten into the car with her and her friends. They seemed friendly enough, but appearances can be completely deceiving – she knew from experience.

Kei noticed the scrutiny, but said nothing yet. There was much to be said, but he really didn't think that he was the best choice for the explanations. Emmy-chan was also in the car, which made the impending discussion even harder. Kei didn't want to be the one to let Emmy-chan know that other people had even the slightest idea that she wasn't a 'normal' child.

Daichi studied all the strangers in the car. The Haninozuka brothers seemed quite set to ignore each other's presence as much as possible, and the younger Morinozuka seemed a little tense, but that was understandable under the circumstances.

Mori waited for the talk that he knew was supposed to come. He understood more than he thought even Kyoya did. Scar had looked quite comfortable with Emmy-chan, who Kei had said was an abuse victim. That showed Mori that Scar must work with victims often, or at the very least, with shy children. Now he was only waiting to hear the details.

The silence stretched on for a few more minutes before Haruhi broke it in her usual blunt way.

"I have a question. Ohtori-sensei said that Scar-san would be Emmy-chan's legal guardian from now on, but how is that possible? He doesn't look much older than any of us."

Kei and Daichi shared a glance before Kei spoke up.

"The Boss, um, he has never had much of a childhood. Due to circumstances, Scar had been forced to mature _**way**_before his time. He had been emancipated by his grandfather at the age of twelve. Since then he had been taking care of not only himself, but also others.

"Everybody who works for Scar, including me an' Daichi here, has been saved by the Boss. It's one of the main reasons why we tend to stick around for so long. Scar may be the youngest out of all of us, but he has the biggest heart and drive.

"At only fifteen, that guy has already done what some can't do in their entire lives. He owns several large and successful businesses all around the world and he takes in the abused kids that he knows of."

Kei went silent for a while. The next part was not something that he felt was right to share with strangers, but somehow it seemed necessary. Daichi noticed Kei's discomfort and decided to take over. Scar's past was his own, and not for any of his men to share with others, so Daichi turned the topic back to the kids.

"This is important, so please listen closely. Every single one of the kids at the manor had at one point or another been abused. It doesn't matter in what way, but they have all been hurt. Scar had saved all of them somehow.

"Some of them had been living on the streets when Scar took them in. Others had been taken from their abusive homes and placed in foster-care. Scar's place also acts as some sort of orphanage. The kids can be adopted, but they also have a say in whether or not they would be comfortable with going with the parents.

"Scar is very careful when any adoption is a possibility. He does thorough background checks on both parents and meets with them personally. Other adoption agencies just let the kids go to have one less kid to take care of, but Scar's first priority is always the child's safety."

Kei took over from there.

"Please treat all those kids with the respect they deserve. They tend to shy away from physical contact, so don't touch them unless they approach you first. Be careful of what you say to them, compliments are fine, but don't insult them – not even as an intended joke."

The hosts all nodded their understanding of the situation. Haruhi, however, was not satisfied. Neither of the guys had really answered her question about the guardianship-issue and she stated as much when Kei had finished talking.

Daichi took it upon himself to answer.

"Because Scar had been emancipated, it means that he is, according to the law, legally an adult. That means that he is treated as an adult in everything, which enables him to take on the role of legal guardian for the children he takes in."

That was surprising to everyone. None of the hosts had even thought of that when Kei had said that Scar was emancipated.

Mori thought back to what Kei had said about Scar running several businesses across the world. How did he balance that with taking care of the kids? How many kids were they talking about anyway?

Yasuchika chose that moment to speak up.

"You keep talking about 'kids' as in plural; just how many are you talking about anyway?"

Kei smiled a little as he answered the grouchy-looking teen.

"Including Emmy-chan now, there are currently fifteen children living at the mansion. Along with everyone else, there are a total of 24 people normally. Add you as the guests, there will be 31 humans in the mansion.

"Counting the dogs that sleep inside, along with the one your other blond friend brought with him, there will also be 11 dogs. The other dogs normally stay outside."

Everyone just gaped at Kei as he finished talking.

'_**FIFTEEN KIDS? And what was that about dogs?'**_

That had been completely unexpected. Yasuchika paled at the thought of sharing living-space with people he had no idea how to act towards, after all, he usually just said whatever he wanted without having to worry about anybody else's feelings. Now what was he going to do? He had only expected like one or maybe two other kids, not FIFTEEN!

Hani and Satoshi were openly gaping like fish out of water_. A number THAT high?_ Nervous glances were exchanged between all the guests. Daichi felt the need to face-palm, but refrained.

'_Did he really have to say anything about the dogs? Idiot!'_

XXX

**Back in the other limo:**

Kaoru was nervous. He had a question, bet wasn't sure whether it was ok to ask or not. Scar seemed to sense that and 'opened the field' – so to speak- by asking if they had any questions.

"Any questions boys?"

Kaoru fidgeted a little before he spoke.

"Um, how many… children are there? And how are we supposed to know what is Ok to say or how to act around them? I mean… it's not like any of us had been around people like that, let alone children…."

He trailed off at the end of the sentence, not really knowing how to formulate his questions better.

Rex unexpectedly gave Kaoru a sympathetic smile. He understood very well the concerns of the other teen, Rex himself had been plagued by the very same worries the first time he had ever come into contact with one of the kids.

"There are currently fifteen. Their ages vary from as young as 3 years old up to 18 years old. 7 Boys and 8 girls – including Emmy-chan."

Not even Kyoya could hide his surprise at the number. Kaoru paled even more and Tamaki and Hikaru's mouths were hanging open.

Scar sighed and warily ran a hand over his face before he continued.

"It's kinda hard to tell you what to do or not to do since it really differs from person to person. The only things that count for all of them are stuff I already said.  
>Like no touching unless the kid approaches you first.<br>No yelling or screaming at any of them. Don't insult them even if you mean it as a joke.  
>No trying to charm the girls – they are the most delicate.<p>

"That's really all I can tell you not to do to any of them. The rest is really different from one to the next and you will simply have to pay attention to their reactions.

"If they are acting scared, back away and let them see your hands at all times. Don't ever force your presence on them if they even slightly seem to fear you. Try not to fully block the doorway when you enter a room – they would feel safer if they have an open exit when/if they feel threatened."

Scar raised his eyes to the roof of the limo in thought. There really wasn't anything more to say to prepare the rich-kids for what was to come.

The seriousness of the situation was (very) slowly starting to dawn on Tamaki and Hikaru as well. Kyoya and Kaoru had filed the advice into memory, both of them praying that they will not be the cause of someone getting hurt.

"Just how old are you anyway? How come you know so much about those kinds of situations?" Hikaru didn't like feeling like he was being talked down to and that was pretty much all the guy called 'Scar' has been doing since they had met.

Scar raised an eyebrow at the rudeness, but said nothing of it. He did after all greet both twins with a fist to the jaw, so he couldn't really reprimand anyone on their manners. Rex was doing an excellent job of hiding his amusement.

Scar couldn't help but smirk at the reaction he just **knew **was coming when they found out that he was only fifteen. Imagining their reactions, he carefully kept his face blank as he answered Hikaru's question with only one word.

"Fifteen."

Hikaru and Tamaki's jaws dropped to the floor at the answer. Kaoru looked like he was trying to for the 'world's biggest eyes' with the way his eyes widened at the answer. Kyoya was also not immune to the shock. He toppled a little sideways before managing to regain a little of his composure.

Tamaki began spluttering and trying to form coherent sentences with little success. After he got his aw off of the floor, Hikaru started yelling and generally causing a ruckus.

Scar tried, he really did, but seeing the reactions, he simply burst out laughing until his sides hurt. Rex also let out a few chuckles. _'These people are amusing.' _He thought silently. They were dangerous for the kids, but their reactions were quite funny.

Kyoya only looked at everyone. _'Did he even tell the truth?' _ He couldn't believe it. Scar was a year younger than himself and Tamaki. Was that true? Their laughing at the other's reactions suggested that it was only a lie told to see the respective hosts' reactions, but Kyoya did not detect any lie either. It made him a bit uncomfortable.

After all, how could a mere fifteen year old boy…. Never mind…

Scar eventually calmed down enough to answer Kyoya's unasked question.

"Yes, it is true. I really am fifteen."

Kyoya stiffened. How had he known that Kyoya was uncertain of the truthfulness of the statement? He had not voiced the question and he had excellent control over his facial features, so _how?_

"Because I'm **very good** at what I do." Scar told Kyoya with an I-know-something-you-don't-and-I'm-not-telling-you type of attitude. Scar could practically read the emotions on a rock. His entire existence relied on reading people and because he dealt with yakuza more often than not, he became way more than 'just good' at seeing the truth and reading emotions and unasked questions.

Kyoya was a tad bit hard to read, but Scar could do it easily since Kyoya had lost his composure earlier. At the hospital, the Ohtori had been worse than a closed book.

Everybody sat in silence for almost 25minutes when Scar suddenly perked up.

"Finally!" he breathed a sigh of relief, "Home sweet home!"

tbc

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers and a special thanks to KanameZeroYuki who corrected me in chapter 10 that the wooden sword used in Kendo is actually a shinai and not a bokken as I had it.<strong>

**And also thanks to Kerilou95 who had proofread and corrected a large part of this chapter!**

**I'll read y'all when I get back OK?**

**I.K. out**


	12. 12: The Mansion

**Surprise! I got you all a new chapter before January! hehe, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from OHSHC! All the OC's are mine (even if I borrowed names from other anime) XD**

* * *

><p><em>Everybody sat in silence for almost 25 minutes when Scar suddenly perked up.<em>

"_Finally!" he breathed a sigh of relief, "Home sweet home!"_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12: The mansion<strong>

Haruhi couldn't contain a gasp of surprise at the sight before her. The huge iron gates swung open without a sound when the limo approached. Dense forests sat on either side of the double driveway, with flowers of every imaginable color sprinkled across the ground and even some vines crawling up tree trunks.

"Look, a rabbit!" Hani exclaimed in delight as he saw one of his favorite fluffy animals curiously sniffing the air next to the road. Only a moment later it was joined by a few little ones as well.

The limo driver was driving slowly especially for the enjoyment of the guests. He knew that they might enjoy the wonderful show of nature, and Scar forbade any fast driving anyway as there are a lot of wild-life in the forest.

Next to show curiosity, was a small herd of deer. They were used to the noisy metal creatures, so they were not frightened away by the sound of the engine as one would expect.

Emmy showed excitement as she saw a fowl. Her eyes practically sparkled and her smile stretched clear across her face. It was after all the first time she got to see a baby deer up close! With her face pressed against the window, Emmy was the first to notice the large grey wolf a little father back into the trees. She sighed out of pure relief when all the wolf did was look at the car and walk away.

Yasuchika, Satoshi and Mori were also surprised by the expanse of the trees. They didn't think it would be so much. Most mansions only had one or two large trees by the gates, if any. On the opposite side of the road from the deer, a pack of wolves were lazing in the shade, seemingly not interested in the deer at all.

Mori noticed that almost all of the wolves were wearing collars and asked the driver about it, surprising everyone in the limo.

"Oh those? No need to worry about the wolves, they are only collared so that Scar-sama can keep track of their movement." The driver answered with a smile.

The rest of the (surprisingly long) drive up to the house was done with only the occasional exclamation from someone about one animal or another.

XXX

**With Tamaki and the twins:**

"Wow! This place is all trees! Don't tell me you live like some jungle-man in the forest."

Hikaru was quite rude with his statement, but Scar answered in a way he knew would annoy the orange-haired teen.

"Of course. What did you expect, a palace?"

Hikaru and Tamaki sputtered something unintelligible at the answer while Kyoya inwardly rolled his eyes at their idiocy. He could tell Scar was only being sarcastic. Instead of paying attention to his fellow hosts, Kyoya proceeded to stare out the window at the natural wonderland.

Kaoru also stared out at the animals they passed and he blanched slightly at the sight of the wolves. Not able to hide his concern, he asked

"Um, those wolves, they don't roam near your home, do they? I mean, the place is fenced up to keep them out, right?"

Scar tilted his head to side slightly before answering a straight forward

"Of course not."

At that, even Kyoya turned to look him with an incredulous expression on his face. Did he not realize that those are wild animals?

Seeing the concerned expressions, Scar requested the driver to stop. He calmly got out of the car and walked a few paces away before letting out a short, sharp whistle.

The hosts gasped at what they believed were pure craziness, when all the wolves got up and charged at Scar. They all held their breath as the first wolf jumped

right into Scar's arms… and proceeded to lick every inch of his face.

Rex chuckled at their open-mouths before speaking up. "I wouldn't suggest any of you trying that. Those wolves might be tame around the Boss, but they are still wild animals."

"They get to roam free?" Tamaki whispered.

"Yes. They have free access to any part of the grounds."

"My precious Antoinette will be in danger!" Tamaki yelled with rivers of tears streaming down his cheeks unchecked as he hugged his 'precious baby' close.

While Tamaki was freaking out, Kyoya kept a close eye on the way Scar seemed so at ease even with the possible danger the wolves presented. He noticed how Scar gave every wolf attention and not just the one which had jumped into his arms. Kyoya had been quite surprised that Scar didn't even shift with the extra weight of the animal.

After giving sufficient attention to all of his comrades, Scar returned to the limo and once more they were on their way to his home. Rex noticed that his boss was now much calmer than he had had been just a few moments earlier. It never ceased to amaze him, what a big effect the animals have on Scar.

Kyoya couldn't help but stare at the gentle look on Scar's face after he got back into the limo. Scar seemed almost, feminine, with such an expression. Kyoya imagined that he felt his heart flutter, but he quickly squashed any such wayward thoughts. He definitely **did not **like the guy, he is wary of him after all. Thus, he simply chalked it up to the slight nervousness he felt with a fellow human being surrounded by dangerous animals. Lucky for Kyoya, no-one else had noticed his momentary lapse.

Scar felt refreshed after seeing his long-time comrades again. Not many people knew why the wolves were so comfortable around him and he with them. Scar was curious as to why Shadow and Snow were not with the pack, but he also knew there was nothing to fear from the alpha-pair.

XXX

**The mansion:**

Everybody felt their mouths fall open at the sight of the 'mansion'. When Scar had said mansion, Haruhi had pictured something like what the hosts lived in. Not this, this…. CASTLE!

With a large fountain in the middle of a circular driveway and a wide staircase leading up to double doors, which seemed to be made of oak, the castle was an impressive sight. Not to mention that it was also three stories high with floor-to-ceiling windows in the corridors. Untamed vines crawled up the walls, giving it that 'little something extra'.

Kei and Daichi outright laughed at their companions' surprise, fondly remembering their own first reactions to the sight.

"Welcome to our home, gentlemen. Please remember to pick your jaws off of the floor before leaving the vehicle." Scar just couldn't resist teasing the hosts.

"This… this is… not a mansion!"

"It's a friggen CASTLE!" The twins once again completed each other's thoughts.

"17th century to be exact. I inherited this castle and the surrounding forest a few years back. It's been my home ever since." Scar smiled with pride at the 3-story castle.

"Stay here while I go greet our host." Now _that_ was a direct order. Luckily, the hosts were in too much shock to realize just how Scar had ordered them around again.

Haruhi's party exited their car to get a better look at the castle, but did not go closer, since neither of their escorts made a move to go closer.

Scar walked up to a middle-aged man standing just below the stairs at the front doors. Scar bowed respectfully and held the bow as he spoke.

The man just stared at Scar through his entire speech, not saying a word. At the end he just sighed while pulling a hand through his hair. An exasperated smile touched his lips as he put his hands on Scar's shoulders to pull him up and into a firm hug.

Scar smiled and returned the hug before motioning for the others to join him. All the hosts stood closer as indicated while Scar introduced them all.

"This is the Morinozuka brothers; Takashi and Satoshi; the Haninozuka brothers, Mitsukuni and Yasuchika; the Hittachin brothers, Kaoru and Hikaru, Tamaki Suoh, Kyoya Ohtori, Antoinette – Suoh's dog." The dog was introduced with an exasperated look on Scar's face. "Haruhi Fujioka and finally, our newest addition to the family, Emmy-chan. Everybody, this is Sunny. He is the foster father for all the kids here."

"Welcome all. I trust that Scar and the boys have explained the house rules to you?" At the nods, Sunny continued. "Good, then you may come and bring your bags to your rooms."

Hikaru and Tamaki had looks on their faces that clearly stated 'you-expect-us-to-carry-our-own-bags?'

"Of course you have to carry your own bags, morons. Out here, there are no servants to do your every bidding; if you want something, you do it yourself." Scar told them in a tone that gave no room for argument.

When it looked like they were about to argue some more, Scar efficiently shut them up with a simple "If you can't live without servants, you are free to go home right now."

All those about to argue shut their mouths and turned to get their bags. The rest was already waiting to be shown the way.

Before Sunny could utter another word, a few excited screams came from the door. "Akira-sama! You're home!"

6 children came running out straight into Scar's open arms. Scar gently tossed some in the air and tickled the ones he didn't pick up. One little girl looked around after getting her toss and toddled over to Daichi yelling 'Daddy, Daddy' all the way.

"Hey princess! Did you miss me?" Daichi picked up his daughter and kissed her on the cheek, making the little 3year old squeal in delight.

"Hey, don't I get even one hug this time?" Kei asked pouting. A giggle was heard before two children left Scar to hug Kei. Rex stood to the side with a small, happy smile on his face, waiting for the older kids he could see coming downstairs.

The moment everyone was outside, introductions began anew. Scar asked the kids to stand in line from oldest to youngest so that he could introduce them properly. They did as Scar asked without second thought or complaint.

"Ok rich-kids, listen up. I'm going to start with the eldest and work my way down, I'll also include their ages for your benefit, so try to keep up.

Eiji – 18. Angela -16. Sanosuke – 15. Katsu- 14. Kimi – 13. Jiro – 12. Setsuka and Shizuka, the twins are 10. Ren – 8. Emmy-chan is also 8 years old. Ran – 6. Isamu and Yukhito are both 5. Aiko-chan is 4 and little Misaki is 3.

"Misaki is also Daichi's daughter. Kids, I will now introduce our house-guests for the week.

"Takashi Morinozuka, Mitsukuni Haninozuka, both 17. Tamaki Suoh and Kyoya Ohtori are 16, Hittachin Kaoru and Hikaru and finally Haruhi Fujioka, all 3 are 15. Satoshi Morinozuka and Yasuchika Haninozuka are both 14. Emmy-chan is also the newest part of our family, so please treat her kindly."

The kids and the hosts took a while to look each other over and assess the other group. Haruhi noticed that Angela was slowly trying to move in behind Eiji. She seemed really nervous and even a little scared.

Scar noticed that and tactfully placed himself between Angela and the hosts. That seemed to calm the teenager down enough to only grab hold of Eiji's sleeve and not hide behind him as she wanted to. Eiji gently took her hand and asked permission to go back to their homework.

"Sure thing guys. Did everyone else finish already?" Scar looked pointedly at Ren and Setsuka as he said that. Setsuka left with an 'hmph' and a flip of her hair. Shizuka rolled her eyes and followed her sister with Ren in tow. Slowly all the other kids started leaving as well, but Mori and Hani both noticed how the kids were nervous about turning their backs to the strangers.

Scar sighed softly. _'Well, that went better than I had expected. Let's hope it stays this way.'_

Mori looked down when he felt someone staring at him, before him stood the four year old Aiko. She looked at Mori with wonder in her eyes before whispering "Waa, so tall…" Mori didn't really know what to make of that statement, so he merely blinked at her.

Scar disguised his chuckle as a cough, so as not to insult the child, but Hani slowly came over and told Aiko how much fun it is to ride on Takashi's shoulders. Aiko nodded even though her eyes never looked away from Mori's own. The moment Mori blinked, he felt the small hands grabbing fists full of his clothing and climbing up to his shoulders like he was a tree.

All the hosts just stood there, dumbfounded at Aiko's actions, but Kei could no longer hold it. He burst out laughing so hard that tears started streaming down his face.

"You…you should….have seen…the looks… on…on your…. Faces!" He got out between his gasps for breath, before he doubled over again laughing. Scar tried in vain to hold his laughs, but with Kei's infectious laughter, it was a losing battle. After a while everybody joined in. Even Mori let out a little smile. Aiko just sat on Mori's shoulders looking like the cat that stole the cream.

After he got his laughter under control, Scar looked up at Aiko and asked

"Aiko-chan, did you ask the nice man permission before you climbed onto his shoulders?"

Aiko looked a little uncomfortable and shy, but nonetheless answered softly. "N-no…"

"Is it polite to sit on someone's shoulders if you didn't ask first?"

"N-no…"

"Good. Now climb down and apologize to him please."

Aiko looked properly ashamed of herself as she slowly climbed down from Mori's shoulders. When she was back on her feet, she bowed as well as a four-year old could and apologized for 'violating the tall man with her unworthy hands.'

Scar looked like he had been punched in the stomach with those words. He picked Aiko up and took her to his office where they could talk. He had no idea where she got those demeaning words from, but he was going to find out. If it had been that beast of a father of hers, Scar will personally pay him a visit in prison.

Sunny got over his shock and shook his head. He cleared his throat and asked everybody to follow him to their respective rooms. The rooms will have to be shared two-two, but he hoped the boys wouldn't mind. The west wing is off-limits to guests after all.

The entrance hall was filled with antique vases, furniture and paintings, all dating back to before the 1860's. The works were all put together tastefully. Not too much, not too little, just enough to get a cozy feel of a place lived-in.

The staircase looked like it was made out of white marble. It started with two sides at the bottom and came together on the first floor. (**A/n: Think the staircase in The Princess diaries 2 at the end of the movie.)**

Sunny led them up the east side and into the east corridors. The floor-to-ceiling windows looked out over the expansive forest and long driveway. The first few rooms were empty, and as such, will be occupied by the hosts.

Hani and Mori got the room closest to the stairs. Next to them were Satoshi and Yasuchika. The Hittachin twins will share the room across from Mori and Hani, with Kyoya and Tamaki taking the room diagonally across from Satoshi and Yasuchika.

While the boys were told to settle in, Sunny took Haruhi to the second floor, telling her that she may have either of the rooms closest to the stairs. Haruhi looked around her new room for the week. It wasn't very large when compared to the suite-like room she stayed in at Mori-senpai's place, but it was still huge compared to her bedroom at home. She barely noticed that Emmy-chan was still with her. Emmy did not seem to mind being alone now that the men have gone.

Emmy-chan decided that she wanted to share a room with Haruhi-san while the older girl was still around. She felt safe with Haruhi-san.

The room was brightly lit by the morning sun. Green drapes were pulled open to let the sunlight in. The entire room was decorated in shades of green with a few browns worked in. The large four-poster bed almost felt like it would swallow her, as Haruhi sat down. She laid back and slightly sank into the soft mattress.

XXX

Scar was livid. Aiko's father had told her that she was a filthy child who would violate anything she touched, and that she was unworthy of any form of kindness or happiness. Scar had spent some time talking to Aiko and assuring her that she was special and not in any way filthy or unworthy of anything.

The four year old only stared at Scar without a word. Her daddy's word had been law in her home all her young life, so even though she was no longer living under his roof, she was still afraid of him and what he would do if he ever found out that she was not acting subservient as he had always expected of her.

Scar knew it would take time for Aiko to understand that she was safe with him, but he still felt his heart break as Aiko merely stared at him. Aiko had only been living at the castle for two months, so he couldn't expect miracles, but still, he could hope.

After his talk with Aiko, Scar went to find Bunny in the kitchen. He desperately needed something to cool his head with. The picture of the older teens helping the younger kids with their summer-homework warmed his heart to its very core. A soft, gentle smile adorned his face at the sight. Bunny was the first to notice Scar's entrance and motioned him over.

"We need to talk." The stern look in her eyes already told Scar exactly what she wanted to talk about, so he walked to the adjacent sitting room, that he had converted into a type of talking-room. The room had been sound-proofed for private conversations, just like the one he and Bunny were about to have.

"Now tell me straight, Akira-chan, why have you allowed those spoilt brats into this house?"

Akira(Scar) closed his eyes, took a deep breath and simply said

"Her name is Haruhi Fujioka."

Bunny felt her jaw going slack.

"You mean…the daughter of…. **That **Haruhi Fujioka? The daughter of…"

"Yeah. She is the daughter of **that **Ryuji-san."

Bunny ungracefully plopped down on one of the sofas in the room. Her head was spinning from the enormous amount of information Akira had just tossed in her lap with those few words. She knew of Ryuji of course. Anyone who got involved knew of him. His daughter was the clan's secret princess. All those who were truly loyal to Scar or his grandfather, have vowed to protect her, even though it was not known why she was considered to be the clan princess.

Akira stood by and watched as the wheels in Bunny's mind continued to turn, sliding information into the right slots and creating a puzzle of the bigger picture. After a while Bunny looked back up and spoke in a business-like tone that she used when gathering information.

"So now what? That still doesn't explain why the rest is here also."

"They wouldn't let her come alone and Ryuji-san is currently in a coma. It was clearly the work of professionals since he got serious head-trauma, but had not died even though he had been bleeding out for a while. There is only one family branch that could have pulled such a stunt off successfully without killing him in the process."

Akira pulled an agitated hand through his hair again, showing the left side of his face for a moment.

"He wants her, Bunny. He wants her bad, and if I don't stop him before the week is out, we can say goodbye to life as we know it. He will use her to control the entire empire and destroy everything and anyone in his way.

"You know as well as I do what Kurogasa is capable of, and I have promised that Haruhi will never have to see my side of the world. I made a promise that I will protect her until the very end of my own life if it ever came down to that. Haruhi will NOT be allowed to live on this side."

Bunny stared at Akira for a long moment while letting the information sink in. Kurogasa was a very dangerous man. He would not hesitate to kill a person if they got in his way; Bunny knew that first-hand. Her own youngest brother had been killed by the man. If not for Scar and his team, Sunny and Bunny would have been next.

"Well, if Kurogasa wants a war, then that is exactly what he will get."

Bunny declared in a firm voice. "You will do what you must Scar, but just promise me one thing. Promise me that while the brats are here, you will look out for the kids. Promise me that no-one will get hurt."

Scar looked at Bunny with hard eyes as he spoke in a grave voice.

"I don't make promises that I don't know if I can keep."

With that Scar walked out of the room back to the kitchen. Bunny shook her head sadly. '_I hope you know what you are doing, child, because I sure don't.'_

XXX

All the hosts converged in what appeared to be a playroom. With a TV, puzzles, DVD's and a whole bunch of other games and 4 big sofas placed around the room. Hikaru and Kaoru went directly to the videogames to see what there was to play. Haruhi and Mori were attracted to the library right next to the entrance door to the left. The others just explored the different kinds games piled on a shelf in a corner.

Just as Hikaru and Kaoru turned away from what they were doing, Angela walked in. The second she saw them all in the room she froze. She looked like a deer in headlights and her breathing sped up. Wide eyes flicked across everyone in the room while she backed into the wall next to the door. Her face drained of all color and she looked just about ready to faint; the deep rooted fear in her eyes was the only thing keeping the hosts from jumping to catch her as she sank down the wall, shaking.

Hani wanted to go and comfort the poor girl, but remembered the warnings they had been given in the car. Instead, he lifted his hands in front of him in a placating gesture and spoke in as gentle a voice as he could. He tried to assure her that none of them would hurt her, but he was utterly unsuccessful as Angela practically tried to climb through the wall at her back.

Scar chose that very moment to enter the room. Seeing the state Angela was in, he immediately took charge, telling everybody to move away from the cowering girl on the floor. Scar crouched a little ways away from Angela, putting himself, once again, between her and the hosts, also making sure to keep away from the door should she choose to bolt.

"Angela? Sweetheart, please look at me?" Scar tried talking to the petrified girl, but he could see that she was not mentally with them. Her mind was far from the current time and place, it made Scar wonder what had happened in the 3 weeks he had been gone. What could possibly have made Angela revert back to the way she had been when she was first brought home?

When asking her to look at him had no effect, Scar very slowly reached out and gently touched Angela's hand. She flinched and swung her eyes, wild with fear, to Scar, not really seeing who was in front of her.

Scar continued to speak in soft tones as he once again touched her hand. This time she did not flinch. Angela slowly seemed to become more aware of her surroundings. When she finally came completely to her senses, she flung herself into Scar's arms and sobbed.

Scar effortlessly, yet tenderly lifted the sobbing girl into his arms and walked out of the door, leaving behind a bunch of shell-shocked teenagers. The severity of the situation slammed itself mercilessly into the brains of the ignorant.

XXX

Eiji entered the room to see a bunch of pale teens. He frowned at them, wondering what could have caused that kind of reaction, but shrugged it off. He had to find Angela first.

"Hey, have any of you, by any chance, seen Angela around here?"

Haruhi blinked as though coming out of a trance. She nodded. Haruhi's voice shook slightly as she spoke.

"She was just here. She looked like she had a panic-attack. Scar-san took her away just before you came in."

'_Oh no, I was afraid this would happen!' _Eiji thought as he spun on his heel and ran out without a word, to the one room he knew Scar always took the kids when something like that happens. The room in the West wing.

XXX

Scar held the sobbing girl gently as he sat on the king-sized bed with his back supported by the headboard. He had tried to ask Angela what had caused her to react the way she did, but he also knew that she was in no state to answer.

So Scar only sat, with Angela curled up on his lap like a small child while she cried her heart out. Gently Scar rocked her back and forth, trying to calm Angela enough to take a proper breath; he didn't want her to start hyperventilating.

After some time, the heart wrenching sobbing had died down to only the occasional hiccups and silent tears. Scar felt Angela's breathing becoming slow and even, indicating that she had fallen asleep. Even so, Scar did not let go of the girl in his arms. Something had happened to her, but without facts, he refused to even start thinking of what it might have been. He had seen way too many horrors to even venture a guess. So Scar waited for the one person other than Angela herself who might give him some answers.

Scar did not have to wait for long before he heard the hurried footsteps coming in the direction of his room. As he had expected, Eiji rushed into the room unannounced with a worried look on his face. Even so, Eiji made no sound as he entered the room, afraid of waking the girl in Scar's arms. Eiji swallowed thickly at the look on Scar's face as he approached the bed silently.

"What happened to her?" Scar's voice was soft, but Eiji could clearly hear the underlying anger. He lowered his head before he spoke.

"I'm not really sure. I have my suspicions, but none of it is confirmed." He frowned darkly as he continued softly, not wanting to wake Angela. "We were in town for the groceries with Bunny. Angela wanted to go to the bookstore, so Bunny said it's ok if Angela and I went to the bookstore while she got the groceries. We were to meet in front of the music shop afterwards, since it's on the way back.

"I went to look at the new car magazine and lost sight of her when she went to the adventure books. I thought it would be ok, I mean, we were in the same store and I could see the entrance from where I stood. I didn't realize the back door was open, since it is usually locked. When I went to find Angela, the back door was open and she was gone!"

Eiji took a shaking breath as he remembered the heart gripping fear he had felt when he couldn't find Angela. Taking another deep breath, he continued, still not daring to look up at Scar.

"I ran out the back door without thinking. All I knew was that Angela is gone and I need to find her...  
>She was in the ally, surrounded by men. I don't know what had any of them said to her, but as far I could tell, none of them touched her. She was petrified when I got to her. Those guys just turned around and left. Like I said, it didn't seem like they touched her at all."<p>

Scar's mind worked overtime as he put the pieces together. It was completely possible, since the police didn't arrest all of them. Scar really needed Angela to confirm his suspicions, but he didn't have the heart to wake her. So he gently untangled himself from the sleeping girl's hold and thanked Eiji for the information and told him to watch over Angela until she woke up.

Scar **really **needed to do something. First Aiko and now Angela. He needed to let out some steam, and the dojo was the perfect place to do it.

XXX

Next to walk in on the shocked hosts, was Sunny. He had had phone calls to make and had just finished. Scar had asked him to show the guests around, since Scar himself had important things to do.

The pale faces that greeted him, was all Sunny needed to know that the guests had just experienced their first taste of the harsh reality. The castle was a sanctuary to beaten and abused children, there was no way for them to be guests in the castle and **not **see someone break down. Even so, Sunny felt a little sorry for them, because he knew what it feels like to stand by helplessly while someone obviously suffered.

Offering a smile, Sunny dragged the hosts out of their shocked state to tell them that he will show them around. Dazed nods all around and they were walking outside once more.

"Stay clear of the west side. That is Scar's personal area, but feel free to explore the gardens and the surrounding forest. Just don't go too far in without one of the crew accompanying you; otherwise you will never come back out again."

Kaoru looked severely uncomfortable with just the thought of venturing into the forest, never mind alone. He couldn't forget the wolves. The way they had attacked Scar even though they didn't attack at all had scared him very thoroughly, and he had absolutely no wish to become a meal for what he thought was vicious creatures.

"Out back there is a dojo for those of you who are interested in a little training. If you follow the stone path up the slope, there is also a… Well, you could probably call it a temple; if any of you feel the need to meditate or just to calm down."

Sunny kept smiling the whole time, even as he watched all of the unwanted guests with a sharp eye. While talking, Sunny had led them around to the back of the castle towards the dojo. The gardens were breathtaking! Surprisingly, there was also a swimming pool on one end.

A harsh yell brought Sunny's attention to the dojo. It sounded like a fight had broken out again. He sighed. Would Scar never cease to pick fights with the other guys?

A pained scream tore through the silence and a flock of birds took flight at the sound. Sunny suddenly panicked. What if Scar had lost control? Everyone would be in danger then! With that single minded protective instincts roaring in his ears, Sunny took off towards the dojo at full speed, followed by the hosts.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks very much to all my loyal readers and especially the ones who left reviews! It makes me happy to know you enjoy this story! <strong>

**Well, drop me a review and let me know what you think or if you want to make a suggestion! I'm always open to ideas! ^.^**

**Kitty**


	13. 13: Broken

**Um, hi everybody... Yeah I know, this chapter is much later than I had hoped to get it out, but it's finally here! **

**WARNING! **

**The flashback from Shizuka might upset the more sensitive readers, so if child abuse of any form upsets you, please skip that part and consider finding a different fanfic as that topic is going to be in the forefront from this point on. **

**otherwise, enjoy!**

* * *

><p><em>A pained scream tore through the quiet and a flock of birds took flight at the sound. Sunny suddenly felt panic. What if Scar had lost control? Everyone would be in danger then! With that single minded protective instincts roaring in his ears, Sunny took off towards the dojo at full speed, followed by the hosts.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 13: Broken<strong>

Just as they reached the entrance, a body crashed through the shoji, falling limply at Sunny's feet. "No, no, no, please no." Sunny muttered as he checked the young man for a pulse. It was a little erratic, but still there. Sunny sighed in relief; Scar didn't kill anybody yet. Looking inside, Sunny saw the sight he never wished to see again.

Scar was backed into a corner with Michio and Takumi blocking him, both holding weapons. Scar snarled and jumped straight at Takumi's throat barehanded. Takumi dodged in time for Michio to connect his wooden staff with Scar's unprotected midsection, or rather, he would have, had Scar not caught the staff and viciously slammed it back into Michio's chest.

Not even pausing in his advance, Scar took the acquired weapon and aimed for Takumi's head. A quick sidestep was all that Takumi had needed to escape decapitation with a blunt object, but he knew that Scar would not stop. He had seen Scar fighting with that expression only twice before, and every time, someone had been killed.

Scar jumped back to put a little space between him and his opponent. Prowling, like predators on the hunt, the two circled each other. Without warning, Takumi launched an attack which Scar met head-on. The sound of wood clashing had the Hosts frozen in place.

Takumi shifted his own staff so that Scar's body weight would slide Scar's staff down and leave his side exposed. Scar noticed just a second too late what had been done and was hit hard enough to send him crashing into the unforgiving wall.

Dazed and more than slightly bruised, Scar got up and charged right back in. Takumi had a hard time blocking all the consecutive strikes. Scar fought with a precision that very few could match, not to mention he had almost inhuman speed.

Takumi was tiring, he could feel himself blocking slower even as Scar seemed only to gain speed. Takumi was hit hard enough to send him sprawling on the floor a few meters away. A heavily-breathing Michio had grabbed another staff from the wall and was attacking from behind. Scar simply sidestepped the attack and tripped his attacker who landed in an undignified heap at his feet.

Scar scoffed at the pathetic display. He had come here looking for a real fight; those _boys_ were just wasting his time. As he turned around, Takumi got back on his feet and shifted into the one stance that Scar didn't know how to properly defend against. It had taken Takumi almost his entire life to perfect that technique, and that moment was the perfect chance to test it, since Scar was not your average opponent.

Scar shot him a bored look before shifting into his own stance. For a few very long moments, both opponents only looked at each other, then, by some unseen signal, both attacked at once. The speed at which they rushed each other was almost no more than a blur to the spectators.

The continuous clashing of wood against wood had everybody's nerves on edge. No one knew how the match would end. A sound of wood hitting something other than wood, made it to the ears of the watchful; not a second later, Scar flew through the air and crashed into the wall with a sickening crunch. Scar did not get back up, but he did lift his head to glare at his opponent through hate-filled eyes.

"That's enough you two! I will not have you taking out your anger on each other!" Sunny thundered from the doorway.

Scar turned his head towards the old man who dared to tell him what to do. Before anyone realized what has happened, Scar had once again leaped into an attack, however, before he could reach his target, two wolves took him down bodily so that he landed on his stomach. One kept his legs pinned while the other went for his throat.

Scar felt the sharp canines against the tender flesh of his throat in silent threat and knew that he could not win this fight. Scar went limp under the wolves and lay still even as the one pinning his legs got up. The other wolf lay down on top of Scar's upper-back and gently liked his neck, where her canines had scratched him.

Slowly bringing up a hand, Scar scratched her ears and muttered softly so that only the wolf could hear,

"I'm okay. Thank you, I'm okay now."

Takumi helped Michio up and looked towards Sunny, noticing for the first time that they had had spectators for the fight. A little uncomfortable with all the stares he shuffled slightly as he walked towards Scar to help him up as well.

Scar sat up with both wolves standing next to him, rubbing their ears gently. He knew what he did was wrong. He also knew that he was losing the battle. It scared him to think of what he had done to his own comrades. He was supposed to protect the people under his roof, not hurt them!

So deep in thought was he that he startled when a hand appeared in front of his eyes. Scar looked up into the kind eyes of his eldest teammate. Takumi gave a smile to the youngest member in the group as he waited or Scar to accept the hand up. Takumi had a pretty good idea of what was going on inside Scar's head, after all, he had been there to witness the kid lose control twice before, and the aftermath.

"Why?" The broken whisper from the young boy at his feet nearly sent Takumi to his knees. He heard what Scar didn't say quite clearly _'why do you help me despite what I have done to you?'_

"Because you are not only my leader, but also my friend." Takumi watched as unshed tears filled Scar's eyes, before he composed himself and grabbed Takumi's hand to accept, not only his help up, but also the hand of friendship that had been extended to him.

With a cheeky grin, Scar pulled himself up with Takumi's help and limped over to Michio to apologize and also to check on Hajime whom he had tossed out the door early on in the fight. Scar completely ignored the other people as he helped Hajime up. Hajime was still only partially conscious, so Scar slung Hajime's right arm over his shoulder while Takumi took the other side. Michio followed behind. All the Hosts stared slack-jawed as the beaten and bruised men moved passed them.

The twins gulped loudly while Tamaki looked just about ready to faint. The Haninozuka and Morinozuka brothers were impressed despite themselves, but Mitsukuni was also a little disturbed at the high amount of skill and determination that the combatants had shown, especially Scar.

The guy had seemed practically ready to tear somebody's head off with his bare hands, and how did those two wolves do what 3 people had failed to do? Why were they successful so easily?

All those questions twisted and churned in the small 18-year old's head. Just _**who**_ and _**what**_ is Scar? How can a 15 year old have so much skill and power? It should take much longer for a person to get anywhere near that level, so how did Scar? What motivated him?

XXX

Bunny stood with her arms crossed and a VERY angry expression on her face awaiting the beaten and bruised foursome limping towards the back door (Sunny had called to warn her of the fight that took place). Foot tapping impatiently, she eyed the visible damage on Hajime, as he seemed mostly unconscious; she had assumed that he had the worst of the injuries.

Scar kept his head down, to let his hair hide his face. Scar and Takumi were the most severely injured, but both refused to admit it, wanting the other two to get treated first. Bunny was not an idiot, after the quick scan of Hajime's injuries; she noticed that it was only the bump to the head that needed to be checked. Not to mention the fact that Scar always downplayed his injuries, no matter how severe it might be.

With that knowledge occupying the back of her mind, Bunny let the guys in to see to their wounds.

* * *

><p>XXX<p>

After all the excitement, Sunny didn't think that the guests would want to continue the tour. Confirming his thoughts, Tamaki suddenly gave a distressed yell.

"Where is Antoinette? Has anyone seen my baby girl?"

Tamaki ran around in a 'headless-chicken' moment, while the others simply searched in the immediate vicinity. Antoinette was nowhere to be seen. Kyoya quickly organized everyone into pairs to search for the dog. Satoshi and Yasuchika, Hikaru and Kaoru, Kyoya with Tamaki (since he is the only one who can keep him somewhat under control), Mori and Hani were paired with Haruhi.

Sunny gave a sharp whistle and dogs of various shapes and sizes came running. The dogs were ordered to find Antoinette. After sniffing Tamaki (to his great distress), they took off into the forest. Kyoya only watched after the dogs for a few moments before dragging Tamaki in the direction of the castle. The others realized that the dogs would find Antoinette way before them, so they all split into other directions to continue exploring the grounds.

* * *

><p>XXX<p>

Haruhi, Mori and Hani opted to see what the temple looked like. Together they climbed the stone steps. Mori was impressed, the temple he usually used for mediation was much more elaborate, but Mori preferred the simplicity.

It was really just a roof over four pillars, but it was beautiful. Or rather, the view made it beautiful. On one side it looked out at the mansion, on the other, you could see a lake glittering in the distance, surrounded by the forest. The pillars had elegant carvings, seeming to tell a story, but none of the three could really make out just what that story was.

Haruhi loved the view of the lake. Somehow the glittering gem in the middle of the surrounding darkness gave her hope. Hope for what, she wasn't sure, but she was thankful all the same. Her mind wandered back to Ranka. Haruhi needed to know what will happen next. Her subconscious was telling her that her father wouldn't be coming back; just like her mother didn't come back, however, something else, some small, hidden part of her, had hope that Ranka would come back to her.

After spending nearly an hour at the temple, just soaking in the view, the three friends decided to wander back to the mansion to find the others.

* * *

><p>XXX<p>

Kyoya was having a bit of a hard time trying to keep Tamaki calm. Tamaki was wailing and blubbering all over the place, scaring the younger children in the process. He got so bad that Bunny had come over and gave him a sound slap across the face.

Tamaki was so shocked that he fell completely silent. Nobody had EVER dared to hit him. Not even his evil grandmother had raised a hand against him. Now this, this _commoner woman_ came and dared to harm his beautiful face?!

That slap gave Tamaki another reason to start his dramatics. Just as he started really getting into the 'reason why his beautiful face should not be harmed' Scar walked in, followed by Hajime and Takumi.

Seeing the chaos wreaked by the crazy blond, Hajime quickly retreated to find the items that he knew his Boss would want in a few minutes. Takumi just watched in slack-jawed bemusement as the young blond continued with his monologue, not noticing the growing audience at all.

Scar had a tick forming on his forehead. Tamaki was really getting on his nerves with all his ranting and complaining. Not even mentioning the fact that he was also scaring the kids who were unaccustomed to such outlandish behavior.

Giving just enough time for Hajime to return with the tools, Scar approached Tamaki from behind. Kyoya noticed the dark expression on the younger boy's face, but decided that he would not interfere unless Scar endangered his friend's life.

Just as Hajime entered with all the needed stuff, Scar tackled Tamaki from behind…

* * *

><p>XXX<p>

Hikaru and Kaoru had taken the safest choice and had gone back to the game-room. They did not, however, expect to see some kids playing the ever-popular game of 'Twister.'

Setsuka and Shizuka looked up simultaneously when the red-heads entered. Ren was holding the twister board, while the girls were in a rather compromising position (had it been any other situation) on the mat.

"What are you losers staring at? If ye wanna stare you might as well play along! Girls against guys. Well?" Setsuka demanded as she and her sister untangled themselves.

"What is this commoner game called anyway?" Hikaru was never really one for proper manners unless he was entertaining someone of the upper class.

"C-C-COMMONER GAME?! How dare you?! This is the great and evil TWISTER! Have you people been living under a rock or something?" Setsuka and Shizuka were outraged that their favorite game was being put down by some rich a$$ BOYS who had never even played it before.

Thus the challenge was extended and accepted. The rules explained, they all took their places. Ren was once more put in charge of the board and was also appointed as referee.

_**Let the game BEGIN!**_

* * *

><p>XXX<p>

Satoshi and Yasuchika decided to explore the nearby forest. They were not searching for Antoinette, simply exploring, while making sure not to go in too deep. Neither of them wanted to get lost in the vast expanse of trees even though they have both been trained in survival skills.

Only a few meters in, Yasuchika froze. Satoshi looked back at his best friend in question '_why did he stop?' _Yasuchika was looking a little further into the forest. He could see something that looked frighteningly like a human being. A torn and ripped-to-pieces human body, maybe.

Satoshi followed his line of sight and paled. It was definitely a human body. Slowly and as quiet as possible, both boys decided to make a quick exit - whatever had gotten a hold of that person, might still be around, and neither wanted to be ripped to shreds. They had long lives ahead of them and were not going to cut it short by being stupid.

Satoshi and Yasuchika made it a few steps before a mighty **'ROAR!' **sounded all around them. Not knowing where it came from, they decided to take a chance and run for it. The moment they burst through the last of the trees, another roar sounded, as though it wanted them to stay. Completely freaked out, Satoshi grabbed Chika's arm and sprinted towards the castle at full speed, never once looking back.

* * *

><p>XXX<p>

Haruhi entered the castle with Hani and Mori to find complete chaos. The youngest of the children were crying, the older ones trying in vain to calm them. Kei, Daichi, Hajime and Takumi were cheering Scar on as though he was in some kind of fight. Kyoya stood a little behind them, more pale than usual, and didn't even acknowledge when his friends approached.

Such behavior from the Shadow King was definitely a cause for concern. Mori's jaw slackened when he saw what was happening (his height giving him a distinct advantage). Haruhi and Hani wanted to know what was happening as well, so they pushed their way to the front.

Scar and Rex was in the middle with a wriggly worm of silver duct tape between them. The duct tape-worm was curiously Tamaki-shaped. Just as the confusion was about to take the hint to leave, the 'worm' yelled something along the lines of 'abuse' and 'lawyer' and 'prison', though it was muffled due to the duct tape…

"Uhm, may I ask why Tamaki-sempai is covered in duct tape?" Haruhi asked, not really sure if she _wanted _to know.

Scar gave a positively predatory grin at the still-squirming Tamaki-worm, before answering.

"I warned them. I told them what the consequences would be if they upset my kids, but this **child **here didn't bother listening. Now he will face the consequences like a man, or a squealing boy in his case."

"What did Tama-chan do? I'm sure he didn't mean to upset anyone." Hani timidly tried to pacify the fuming Scar.

"Like I said, he upset my kids. His outlandish behavior is unacceptable in this household. This had been explained to him during the car ride here. It has not even been one day and he had already disregarded the rules. I don't care where he came from or who he thinks he is, but in this house, he is **just a guest**! I will not tolerate his idiocy any farther. He will be punished in the manner which has been explained to him beforehand.

"Now, if you will excuse us, we have to finish up. Not to worry though, he will not be tortured ('_yet'_)."

Dragging the Tamaki-worm behind him, Scar ordered Tamaki's roommate to follow. That, of course, was Kyoya. Kyoya was a little apprehensive of what he would be needed for, but followed anyway as Rex's threatening presence behind him made itself known.

The four of them had just disappeared up the stairs towards Tamaki and Kyoya's bedroom, when Satoshi and Yasuchika came charging inside at full speed. Gulping air greedily, they fell to the floor in semi-relief. At least the monster wouldn't be able to find them inside, right?

"Satoshi?" Mori was more than a little concerned when his little brother practically passed out at his feet. Satoshi did not pull pranks, so it must have been serious for him to try and mimic a ghost's paleness.

"Taka…. The-there is s-some-th-thing out there! It shredded a person! It was horrible, there was blood an- and there were body parts an- and there was a** monster**!"

Mori blinked at Satoshi as he tried to explain what they had seen through his stuttering. Chika tried to take over the explanation, but it did little to help, it only served to confuse everyone more. That is to say, everyone except Takumi, Bunny and Sunny. Those three knew exactly what the boys were talking about, but didn't bother to enlighten anyone else.

"Hold on a second. Did you just say it felt like it was calling you back?" Sunny asked, surprised. He turned to Bunny.

"I know. We will have to tell Akira-chan."

"Boys, don't _ever_ go into the forest without Scar-sama again! You could have gotten really hurt or lost in there! Please stay out the forest, alright?" Takumi spoke to everyone in general. All the people in the room nodded.

* * *

><p>XXX<p>

"YES! We girls win again! Whoo!" Setsuka cheered as she and Shizuka won the fifth game of Twister in a row. Grabbing Ren and Shizuka by the hand, Setsuka danced around the room in triumph. Hikaru and Kaoru were quite put-off because of the constant losing, proclaiming the game boring and a waste of time.

"HA! You two are just sore losers. Rich-kids don't know what it means to be denied something they want, since '_money can just buy it'_." Shizuka spat out, her dislike for the houseguests apparent in her attitude and words. Setsuka was surprised at her sister's behavior. Setsuka herself was usually the one who lashed out and insulted people; she usually stood up for Shizuka, never the other way around. Not since they were very young anyway.

While Hikaru simply put Shizuka's attitude down as her being rude, Kaoru noticed that is wasn't the whole truth; something in her eyes gave her away. Setsuka immediately defended her twin as she had done for years, going head-to-head with Hikaru while Ren wisely decided to escape while he still had the chance.

Kaoru cautiously approached Shizuka, he wanted to speak to her, but wasn't really sure how to, with Scar's warnings still in the back of his mind. Shizuka saw him coming closer, but she didn't move away despite wanting to. She could see that Kaoru was just as nervous as she was, so she let him come closer without throwing something at his head.

Kaoru stopped a few strides from Shizuka before he decided that honesty might be the best policy at that moment.

"May I speak to you? I mean, I don't want to make you uncomfortable or anything but I've never done this before so… um… if you don't want me to or something…" Kaoru trailed off; uncertain of what more he should have tried to say.

Luckily Shizuka realized that he meant her no harm, so she spoke before he could try to say anything else. "It's fine. Just don't touch me, and then you can sit… if you want."

Kaoru gave a small smile in relief and gratefully sat down a respectable distance away. "Why did you react so strongly back there?"

Shizuka watched Kaoru's every move like a hawk. She sighed, deciding that he might as well hear her story. It won't change a thing anyway, it can't change the past.

"We were happy. Mom and Dad, me and Setsuka, we were your average, rich family with no worries. That is, until Mom got sick. Money meant absolutely nothing then, Mom couldn't be helped. Money could do nothing to bring her back and money could do nothing to stop Dad from… Well, the point is that money is useless and rich people are nothing but ignorant b******s who thinks that money is all there is to life."

Shizuka clenched her hands on her lap as she gritted her teeth when memories assaulted her. Memories best left in the deepest, darkest, inaccessible part of her mind.

***Flasback***

"_Mommy? Mommy! Please wake up! WAKE UP!" 7 year old Shizuka cried as she shook her mother's cold body to wake her up. She had been too young to really understand what it meant that her mother 'died'._

_XXX_

"_Shizu, darling, come to Daddy. We are going to play a game okay?" Shizuka huddled in the closet as her drunken father continued to call out to her._

"_If you don't want to play, maybe I should play with dear Setsu-chan né?"_

_Shizuka's eyes widened at that. No matter what he did to her, she would _never _allow him to touch her little sister. With that resolve to protect her sister in the only way she knew how, Shizuka let herself be known. She knew what was coming already; her father had done it to her before, just hours after her mother had been buried._

_Terrified, but determined to keep Setsuka safe, Shizuka crawled out of her hiding spot. Her father immediately grabbed her, roving her small body with his filthy hands, touching her in ways that she just _knew _was wrong, hurting her…_

_XXX_

_The old man finally left, leaving Shizuka bleeding over the floor as she crawled her way to the bathroom to clean up as best she could. She wouldn't let Setsu see her like that. As long as __**that man **__kept his filthy hand off of Setsu, Shizuka will do anything._

_XXX_

**That man**_** (**__as Shizuka began to refer to her father) had just had his way with her again, but not before taking cruel pleasure in beating her thoroughly. She was left broken and bleeding in the room. Just as Shizuka was losing consciousness, she heard voices, yelling something about 'caught' 'suspect' and 'victims'. _

_She couldn't make sense out of anything, her head was pounding and her whole body was on fire. She let out a pained whimper. Seconds later the door was bust open and a blanket was draped over her shivering form. Warm arms and a soft voice, telling her she was now safe, followed her into unconsciousness._

***Flashback ends***

Kaoru could only stare at the 10 year old girl as she tried hard to fight back tears and memories. He felt like he should comfort her somehow, but she had told him not to touch her, so he would respect that. So he only sat next to her in silent comfort, or, what he _hoped _was comfort.

* * *

><p>XXX<p>

In Kyoya and Tamaki's shared bedroom, Scar jumped up onto Rex's shoulders. The height was just enough for him to reach the ceiling. Rex handed the rest of the duct tape to Scar while holding onto the Tamaki-worm.

Scar then proceeded to tape Tamaki to the ceiling, just as he promised he would. Kyoya could only stare at the display, not sure how he was supposed to feel about his friend undergoing such 'abuse'. He actually found the whole situation very funny, but in respect for his friendship with Tamaki, decided not to laugh (at least, not out loud).

"There, that should hold him long enough. Ohtori, you will leave him up there until dinner-time. If he hasn't decided to apologize by dinner, then you leave him until he decides to do so." Scar told Kyoya in no uncertain terms.

"No lunch?"

"No lunch. Dinner will be his first meal today, unless he chooses not to apologize." Scar stated again before walking towards the door. Rex was already waiting outside.

"**Mommy**_! _ Help me! You have to help me!" Tamaki wailed from his sticky prison.

'_Mommy?' _Scar wondered with a confused expression, but said aloud "I don't want to know."

"It is safer that way." Kyoya muttered low enough that only Scar could hear him. Together, all three of them walked back to the room where the chaos started to try and do some damage-control.

Scar knew he shouldn't be, but he was curious about the youngest Ohtori. He knew that Yuichi-sensei said that Kyoya is a lot like their father, who hides behind a tough exterior, but that doesn't really tell him anything about Kyoya himself.

Out loud Scar asked, "How do you deal with that crazy boy every day? You seem much more likely to get along with the eldest Morinozuka than the crazy kid."

Kyoya observed Scar from the corner of his eye as he spoke. He really didn't know what to make of his current host. First Scar threatened them, and then he had gotten in a rather vicious fight with his own men, now he was making polite conversation? Yet despite that, Kyoya found himself answering the question and honestly at that.

"It started out as a simple order from my father to befriend the Suoh-heir, but he was so genuinely kind, that it had eventually developed into a true friendship. Though he can still be the most annoying person I know."

Scar laughed softly. He knew that feeling of ending up with an unplanned friend. Hajime was one such people. In the beginning they couldn't stand each other's presence for long periods of time, now, they were really close friends.

As the three walked back into the living room, Sunny and Bunny immediately told Scar about what Satoshi had said about the short while they had been in the forest. Scar tilted his head in question before he spoke.

"Well if she called you back, why didn't you go to her?" Scar was curious since no-one had really been able to resist the call before.

"Wh-WHAT? Whatever that thing was had torn a human being limb from limb and you expect us to just walk straight to it?" Chika was freaking out a little. He didn't want to admit the fact that he had been scared when he saw the mutilated body.

"Huh? What bod- OH that. No worries, that thing is only a fake to keep hunters out of that part of the grounds. The hunting-area is completely on the other side, but hunters are filthy creatures who just don't listen. Well, whatever, we'll go see her tomorrow then since it's almost time for dinner."

Everybody was quite surprised to notice the time. It had never occurred to any of them that they have missed lunch; it had been a long, interesting day with trials and confusion at its highest. Bunny left with the older girls and Eiji to go prepare dinner for all 31 people in the house that evening.

Kyoya was a little confused. Scar had said that Tamaki would not be allowed lunch, but since lunch-time was long over… Could he be cut down for dinner then? Luckily for Kyoya, Scar already knew what question would be brewing in his mind and decided to spare him the trouble of asking.

"If he apologizes, he can come down for dinner when it is done, if not, you leave him up there until breakfast-time tomorrow."

"Um, excuse me, but where IS Tamaki-sempai?" Haruhi directed her question at Scar since he was the one who had dragged Tamaki off in the first place.

"Hm? I duct-taped him to the ceiling in his room." That statement was said with such a straight face that it was very hard for the hosts to comprehend the fact that Tamaki had been _duct-taped to a ceiling._ As the fact began to sink in, they blinked, and blinked again and promptly burst out laughing.

It was to hysterical laughter that Hikaru and Kaoru walked in with Setsuka and Shizuka trailing behind. Learning of Tamaki's fate, they too began laughing.

Scar immediately noticed the tear-tracks on Shizuka's face and went hunter-still. His eyes searched Hikaru and Kaoru for any signs of which one had upset her. The one that upset her would join the crazy blond in his punishment.

Shizuka noticed Scar's searching gaze and went over to him. "It's ok, Scar-sama, it wasn't his fault." The softly words brought Akira back from the edge of the rage.

"What happened?"

"We were playing Twister and they are sore losers. One of their remarks just made me remember. He didn't know."

Scar didn't need to ask what Shizuka had remembered, he was there that day when the twins were found. He had sat with her for four days, waiting for her to wake up in the hospital. He was there when she woke up screaming for three months afterwards. He was there during the first time she spoke to her therapist about what had been done to her. He had been there through all her nightmares and fears. He was there when she started letting others in again and he had celebrated with her and her sister, their 9th and 10th birthdays.

Scar nodded to Shizuka to let her know that he acknowledged the fact that it wasn't one of the boys who had upset her. Shizuka gave a small smile in return and took Scar's hand. Scar had been there for her through it all. Shizuka had later found out that Scar was the person who had picked her up that last day of her hell. Scar was the first person she saw when she first woke up in hospital and for a long time, he and Setsuka had been the only people Shizuka would talk to. After a while, 'Scar-sama' became 'Akira-sama' and they formed a family bond that refused to be broken.

Kyoya had been keeping one eye on Scar the whole time and had seen the exchange between him and the younger girl. He was not really surprised to see how gently Scar had handled her, since he had taken notice of Scar's softer side at the hospital with Emmy-chan.

Not long after the laughter at Tamaki's plight died down, Bunny came to inform them that dinner was ready. The Hosts were surprised that dinner for 31 people had been prepared so quickly, but Kei told them simply

"With Bunny in the kitchen, it runs like a well-oiled machine. Everyone has their place and their jobs and they all work together to create the most wonderful dishes…" he trailed off as he remembered some of the mouth-watering dishes that have been prepared by Bunny and the girls.

Scar turned to Kyoya before telling him again that Tamaki could be cut down after dinner; **if **he decided to apologize.

Dinner was a lively affair. The Hosts were used to stiff, formal and _silent_ dinners with their families, which were definitely not the case at the Castle. The older kids sat between the younger ones, should they need help with anything.

Everyone was talking to anyone else, making the room fairly buzz with sound. It seemed like the only ones not talking (for the moment) was Scar and Rex. Even the guests were involved in conversation by some of the more daring children or Scar's team. Even Mori had been convinced to share a few words with Takumi and Daichi.

Haruhi had been seated next to Scar on his left for the evening. She noticed that he only spoke when spoken to, which she found a little strange. Even though he said little, Scar kept a close eye on all of the occupants.

Kyoya had (surprisingly) been engaged in conversation by the 12 year old Jiro. Jiro wanted to go into business and since Kyoya knew what it took to get in and stay in, Jiro had, uncaring of Kyoya's comfort, began to pepper him with question after question, barely giving Kyoya any time to actually answer any of them.

Setsuka had enjoyed bantering with the red-headed teen earlier (not that she would _ever_ admit to it), so she had purposely started another argument with him. As for Hikaru, even though he found the girl to be annoying since she just _had _to contradict everything he said, he too enjoyed the light bantering. So the arguments continued, both taking a certain amount of care not to cross any lines as to truly upset the other.

Ren and Katsu had taken on Hani in an eating contest while Sanosuke got to play judge. Kimi and Shizuka had engaged Kaoru in a quiet conversation concerning fashion and colors and patterns. Emmy-chan was being introduced to Angela and Eiji, with Isamu and Yukhito constantly demanding attention as well.

All-in-all, dinner went rather well and ended on a semi-peaceful note. The boys, Rich-kids included, were put to work to clean up the kitchen. Kyoya was lucky enough to be excused because of the fact that Scar called him to be the witness to what was going to happen to Tamaki; in other words, whether or not Tamaki was going to be let down or left on the ceiling until the next morning.

Hikaru complained about having to clean up since he never had to do something so…so… commoner-ish. Kaoru could only shake his head at his brother; Scar _had_ told them that there were no servants to do their bidding after all. Mori, Hani, Satoshi and Chika had no problem helping out since it was only fair – the girls cooked and the boys cleaned up afterwards.

Haruhi decided that since she was not allowed to help in the kitchen, that she would go with Scar and Kyoya-sempai to see Tamaki-sempai. She was a little worried about how he would react to the rough treatment, but was totally unwilling to get in between him and Scar. Scar would have had a reason to do what he did (the reason he gave of _'_upsetting his kids'didn't really sound like a valid enough reason, even though, if you considered the circumstances of each child individually, it just might end up being a valid reason after all.

* * *

><p>XXX<p>

Tamaki had been completely shocked that Kyoya had not stood up for him when those _barbarians _had attacked him. Tamaki could not understand why anyone would want to treat the king of the host-club in such a terrible manner. He had been and still was, very worried about his precious Antoinette who had been separated from her Daddy.

Those wild people, living in the middle of a forest like some jungle men, couldn't possibly understand how delicate his darling girl was. She didn't know how to survive in the wilderness, away from him, all alone…

Well you get the point, Tamaki was still freaking out about his missing dog with no clue as to why he was treated in such a manner for _no reason._

Tamaki kept wriggling and struggling and straining against his sticky bonds, with absolutely no success, the tape was strong and didn't even loosen a little. Just as Tamaki was starting to give up, Kyoya walked into the room, followed by Haruhi. Scar wanted to see Tamaki's reaction so he stayed out of sight for the time-being.

"Mommy! My darling Daughter, have you come save your Daddy?" Tamaki called excited at the thought that his _'_darling Daughter'had come to rescue him from his 'torture'.

"Tamaki-sempai, do you even know why you are up there?" Haruhi deadpanned, completely ignoring the fact that Tamaki had called her his daughter _again._

Tamaki only looked at her in confusion. "My Daughter, I have done nothing to deserve such barbaric handling." He stated in a confident tone.

Scar sighed in resignation. He knew the guy was dense, but really? Was he stupid as well? Had he not listened to a word Scar had said since 6 o'clock that very morning?

Kyoya saw Scar sigh and knew that Tamaki was probably in for a very uncomfortable night.

"Tamaki, have you noticed that you have upset some of the younger children earlier? Didn't you see that you scared them when you yelled or when you made such fast, wide movements with your arms? Did you really _see __**none**_of that?" Scar spoke up quietly from just out Tamaki's sight.

"You know why I even allowed any of you to come here? Someone once told me that you are a kind, considerate person. But do you know what I see? I see nothing but a self-centered jerk that cares about nothing and no-one but himself!" Scar sneered

"I don't know why I expected anything more from you; you are a Suoh after all. They have never been anything but selfish. I guess I thought that… because you grew up mostly with your mother, that you would be different. I thought I would have learned my lesson by now to never put my trust in people; they only let you down, no matter how good their intensions are, they _always _let you down."

The sheer bitterness and disappointment in Scar's voice as he spoke had gotten through to Tamaki faster and deeper than anything ever could. He felt deeply ashamed of himself for reasons he himself didn't really understand. He desperately wanted to defend his family, but then he remembered…

***Flashback***

"_Mother, where had Father gone?" a 10 year old Tamaki asked. He couldn't understand why his father constantly disappeared._

"_Your father cares more for his family name than he does for me, Tamaki. When he had to choose, he chose a _name _over me and you."_

_That was the only time Tamaki had ever heard his mother being bitter about anything. Never before had she showed such resentment towards his father as that day._

***Flashback end***

With that memory playing in his mind, Tamaki kept quiet, because he knew that Scar spoke the truth; it was just very hard to admit that, even to himself. Tamaki had never thought of himself as selfish, after all, had he not left his mother to come to Japan in order for his grandmother to pay for his mother's medical bills? Had he not taken all of his grandmother's verbal abuse and his father's coldness to insure his mother's health?

Scar's words made him think; _really think_ about himself for the first time. He thought about how he had practically forced Kyoya to become his friend. He thought about how he had treated Haruhi since the first day she had walked into the Third Music Room. He remembered how he and the twins had broken the eight-million-yen vase and blamed Haruhi for it, making her the Host-club's _dog_ in order to pay back a debt that wasn't even _hers _to begin with.

Tamaki remembered every time Haruhi had told him flat-out that he wasn't her father and to stop acting like he was. He thought about how he had forced his _friends_ into those ridiculous family roles because _he _was lonely and wanted a _real, proper_ family.

The times when he and the twins played 'Tug-the-Haruhi' and she had called out to Mori-sempai to save her flashed through his mind. Had they physically _harmed _her? He didn't mean to hurt anybody, especially not Haruhi.

Tamaki then thought back to the few hours before, he suddenly saw with complete clarity the terrified faces of the youngest children which he had ignored earlier, and he heard the crying after he had continued talking after Bunny-san had slapped him.

Shame filled him from the deepest point in his heart. Despite his selfish attitude, Tamaki really was a nice guy who cared for others; he just didn't always know how to show it (appropriately).

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." The soft, broken whispers reached the ears of the three below.

Scar pulled some throwing knives from thin air which he threw at the duct tape, effectively cutting Tamaki down. Scar caught him, before he hit the ground and helped him to get the rest of the tape off. Pulling the last of it off, Scar put his hands on Tamaki's shoulders and spoke directly yet gently

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."

With that, Scar turned and walked away, leaving a broken Tamaki and a confused Haruhi with a surprised Shadow King behind. Scar's job with Tamaki was now done. It was up to Tamaki to do the rest.

'_Good luck Crazy Boy.' _Scar thought as he walked down the stairs back to the kitchen to help with the last of the clean-up.

* * *

><p>XXX<p>

Chaos. That was the only word that could be used to describe the kitchen when Takumi walked in with the last of the dishes. Complete and utter chaos, not even the controlled chaos as the saying went, just plain chaos. How things had gotten so bad so fast, Takumi didn't know.

Mori, Hani and the younger boys were put in charge of putting away the leftovers, that corner was relatively peaceful. Hikaru and Kaoru were put to work as the dish-washers, _that_ was where the chaos stemmed from.

Both had added way too much soap to the water and didn't turn off the taps in time. The result was: sinks that was overflowing, soapsuds on the floor and some of the older kids lying on the floor, soaked. Eiji had somehow managed to keep his footing despite the slippery floor and was currently trying to reach towels and the mops to dry up the worst of it. Sanosuke (Sano) was picking up what looked like it had been plates, but was now in shards on the floor.

"Uh-oh." Takumi muttered as he entered the chaos. For the time being, he ignored the calm corner and put down the dishes he had been carrying before he dropped them. Takumi helped Eiji by grabbing the second mop and bucket to start drying up the worst of the water. The boys on the floor were trying their best to get up, but kept slipping and falling back down.

In the midst of all the chaos, Scar walked in, unnoticed by all except Mori and Takumi. Scar growled softly in sheer annoyance before giving a long, low whistle to get everybody's attention. He then proceeded to walk to the boys still sprawled on the floor, without losing his footing or even giving a tiny slip.

He picked up two of the four and tossed them to Takumi (who caught them with little effort), without a word. Picking up the other two, he walked to the door and put them down, still not saying a word. By then, he had captured everyone's attention. Finally he addressed the room in general.

"Kids, please make your way out of the kitchen. The rest of you, please stay behind, we need to talk."

Seemingly in the blink of an eye, all the 'kids' save Eiji, left the room. The Rich-kids stood awkwardly around the room as they waited for whatever was about to happen. To their relief, Scar didn't raise his voice or got mad at them.

"Clean this mess up and finish the tasks that had been assigned to you. If there is something left to do when you are done, just leave it and come tell me. I'll be in my office." With that said, he walked away to his office, leaving Eiji, Satoshi, Chika, Hikaru, Kaoru, Hani and Mori in the messed-up kitchen to clean up.

Eiji turned to the house-guests and showed them where all the cleaning tools were. Takumi came back in after he was certain that Scar was in his office and won't be coming back for a while and started helping with the cleaning without saying a word.

* * *

><p>XXX<p>

_Darkness; flashing lights; a pretty face with a concerned expression – it all flashed behind closed eyelids. The person was asleep; at least, it _felt_ like they were asleep. Blinding pain shot through the person's body, making their back arch. A crippling headache made them gasp for breath through the pain._

_Darkness took over once more._

* * *

><p>XXX<p>

Haruhi felt kinda awkward with Tamaki not being his usual self. He was quiet, reserved and not looking her or Kyoya in the eye. It was such a drastic change that it scared her a little. She knew what Scar had said to Tamaki had really been harsh and even a little unnecessary in her opinion, but she didn't think that Tamaki would be _that_ affected by it, after all, he normally just ignored everything or bounced right back from whatever's been said.

Kyoya felt a little bad for his friend. Scar had truly hit Tamaki at his most vulnerable spot. He had told Scar that Tamaki is a kind person and Scar had purposely used that against him. Kyoya wanted to be mad at Scar for hurting Tamaki, but he also wanted to know what was going through the blonde's mind.

After a few awkward minutes, Tamaki did something that neither of the other two had expected. He bowed low at the waist and held it while he spoke.

"I'm sorry. I am so very sorry for everything. Kyoya, I'm sorry for forcing my friendship on you. Haruhi, I'm so sorry for everything I have done to you: for forcing you into the club, for not listening and most of all I am sorry for hurting you!"

Tears, _real tears_ dripped from Tamaki's eyes as he continued.

"I hope that one day you will both find it in the kindness of you hearts to forgive me. I- " Here he choked on a sob before bolting from the room.

He gave no thought of where he was going; he only knew that he needed some time. Time to think everything through and properly decide what he was going to do, how he wanted to go about changing himself for the better.

Tamaki ran out of a side door and into the surrounding forest. He didn't even try to keep track of where he was going, he just ran blindly. Little did he know that something was waiting for him…

* * *

><p>XXX<p>

Kyoya and Haruhi were left behind due to pure shock. Kyoya didn't even bother to try to hide his shocked expression. Tamaki had never run off like that before. Granted he had also never apologized in such a serious manner before.

One thought ran fleetingly through the minds of both Haruhi and Kyoya

'_Scar broke Tamaki'_

* * *

><p>XXX<p>

With a satisfied sigh, Takumi stood back and looked at the spotless kitchen. Even though Scar had told them to leave the stuff that had not been assigned to them, with Hani's persuasion and Takumi's insistence, they had cleaned the entire kitchen.

Haruhi and Kyoya walked in as all the cleaning tools were being put away. Hikaru spotted them first.

"Hey where is Tono?"

"Um, he is…" Haruhi trailed off, unsure of what to say to their friends about what had happened with Tamaki and his sudden change in attitude.

Lucky for her, Kyoya stepped in. "He is just getting some fresh air since Scar-san had let him down from the ceiling."

Hikaru shrugged and walked off, intending to take a nice long shower to wash off all the gross sweat he had worked up while doing _manual labor_ of all things! He was a Hittachin, d****t, he was never supposed to lift a single finger for housework since that's what maids were there for! He barely kept himself from stomping up the stairs like a sulky child.

As soon as Hikaru disappeared out the door, Scar came back in. Seeing Haruhi and Kyoya in the kitchen without Tamaki, he frowned. He had expected them to still be speaking in the room, the fact that Tamaki was not with them worried him.

"Where is he?" Trepidation filled him as he waited for the answer.

"He took off. We assumed he had only gone to get some fresh air." Kyoya was no longer certain as he watched Scar go from tired-looking to livid in a matter of seconds.

"You let him go off in the state he was in all by himself; even _afte_r you were told NOT to go into the forest without a guide?!" Scar's voice, though angry, was soft, quiet.

"Just because he had left the castle doesn't mean that he had gone into the forest. He could just be at the dojo or the temple even." Haruhi tried to reason.

"Tell me Haruhi, if you are upset and running or walking without looking where you are going, what is your first instinct?" Scar asked, trying to be patient.

"Hiding. Finding some place not immediately… visible to… other … people…" Haruhi trailed off as realization sank in. Tamaki would have directly headed for the cover that the trees provided without knowing that he was heading into the forest they were told not to go into.

Scar sighed in irritation. "Takumi, see if the dogs had found Antoinette yet. I'm taking the wolves hunting. The rest of you, _stay inside!_"

With that disturbing parting shot, Scar turned and walked out without so much as a glance backwards. Takumi understood what Scar had meant when he said he was taking the wolves hunting so he did what he was told without question.

Eiji suggested that the rest of them go watch a movie or play some games until Scar came back. The suggestion was slowly accepted by all those present. Slowly they all made their way to the game room.

* * *

><p>XXX<p>

"Ok guys, I know this is not really your job, but I really need you to help me find Tamaki. Please, I was kinda harsh with him earlier and now he took off somewhere. Please help me find him and take him back to his friends safely."

Scar bowed respectfully to the pack of wolves after requesting their help; after all, they were his most trusted friends and comrades. If anyone can help him find Tamaki, it would be that pack.

The wolves agreed relatively quickly, knowing that Scar was sincere in his wish to find the other human and keep him from the dangers of the forest. With their consent, Scar and the wolves took off in the direction of the foreign smell.

* * *

><p>XXX<p>

All the kids and the Hosts, including Hikaru after he had finished his shower, were sitting in the game-room on and in front of the couches while watching 'Finding Nemo'. The younger kids loved the talking fish and their quirks and attitudes. It was nearing the end and some of the kids had fallen asleep.

Kyoya wasn't really paying much attention to the movie. His thoughts were on Tamaki and Scar. Scar really confused him to no end with his personality switches. When they were talking like friendly acquaintances, he had seemed so approachable even after his scary fight with his own men earlier in the dojo.

Kyoya was just about to leave the room when he heard the front door open. He quietly walked over to see, Scar with blood running down his arm and Tamaki nearly completely unconscious on Scar's shoulders in a fireman's hold.

Kyoya rushed to them to help Scar with Tamaki. Scar shot him a small grateful smile as they put Tamaki on his feet and slung his arms over their shoulders.

"Don't worry about him, he isn't hurt. He just ran into the more dangerous area and I think the adrenalin made him faint for a while. I found him at the hollow tree; that is quite far out so just give him hand to get comfortable and I'll get someone to give him something to help with the stiff muscles tomorrow. He should be fine."

"What about you?" Kyoya asked while eyeing the blood on Scar's arm.

"Ah, it's nothing. I'll just bandage it tonight and it'll be fine."

Dropping Tamaki in their shared bedroom, Scar left Tamaki in Kyoya's capable hands and went to his own room to clean up. That stupid Fox should have known not to mess with Scar.

After cleaning up, Scar went down to the game-room where he could hear the start of 'The Sound of Music' playing. With a small smile Scar sneaked into the room and sat down at Haruhi's feet since she sat closest to the door. When she softly inquired whether he had found Tamaki, he gave a small smile and a nod.

It was about halfway into the movie that Haruhi got up and left. Mori who was seated next to her was about to follow her when Scar put a hand on his shoulder and with a negative shake of his head got up to follow Haruhi to the kitchen.

Scar stopped at the door, just watching Haruhi silently as she gone to the fridge to find something to drink. Placing the container of mango juice on the counter she started to look for a glass, which was when Scar made himself known.

"Glasses are in the cabinets to your right."

Haruhi whirled around at the sound of another voice. She had not expected that someone would follow her. Scar apologized for startling her and pulled out two tall glasses. Haruhi poured the juice and put it away as Scar continued to watch her.

"He will be fine you know." Scar spoke when Haruhi joined him at the counter.

"Tamaki-sempai? Yeah I know."

"I'm not talking about him. I'm talking about Ryuji-san. He is a tough guy and he won't allow something like that to get him down. I know for a fact that he won't let himself leave his only daughter in this cruel world, especially since you are who you are."

Haruhi turned to Scar with confusion evident on her face. She had no clue what Scar was talking about, she was Ranka's only daughter, but why did Scar make it sound so…ominous?

"Ah, right, he never told you. Never mind then. Come, I want to show you something."

Scar lightly grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the stairs where Mori stood with a passed-out Hani in his arms. Scar smiled lightly, told Mori to put Hani to bed and go to the west staircase on the third floor.

Scar and Haruhi didn't have to wait long for Mori since they were walking slowly. When Mori joined them, Scar led them up a hidden staircase and out onto a flat area on the roof.

"This is a spot I often come to when I need to breathe or just need to clear my head. You are welcome up here any time."

"Is he coming back?" Haruhi spoke so softly that Mori had nearly missed it, but Scar seemed to have heard like she yelled at full volume. Even though Mori was confused, he could see that Scar knew exactly what Haruhi was talking about.

"I know that what had happened to Kotoko-san had traumatized you, but have some faith in your father. Despite his odd habits and quirks, he really is a tough guy. A little bump to the head won't get him down. If you want, someone can take you to go see him either tomorrow or day after."

Scar spoke kindly, not wanting to upset Haruhi. Haruhi trusted Scar's words. Somehow, she trusted that stranger and she had no idea why. She simply nodded to show that she heard and turned to the view.

With the sun just setting below the tree line, it was truly a sight to behold. From that spot on the roof one could see the lake and the surrounding forest. The lake glittered with soft red and orange diamonds, the darkness of the forest was significantly softened by the soft color of the light. As the sun continued to set and the color changed, the shadows grew longer, yet it didn't give the frightening effect that one would expect, it just gave the impression of undiscovered mystery.

The three of them stood there until the last rays of the sun disappeared behind the trees. Then all of them turned away and went back inside. The kids have already been put to bed so all those that were still awake bid each other goodnight and retired to their respective rooms for the night.

* * *

><p><strong>A big thank-you to Krilou95 who had proof-read this chapter for me again! And also thank you to <strong>**valleydoodle01 for the correction (I'm so embarrassed to have missed that!) English might not be my first language, but I hoped that I was at least good enough to avoid such glaringly obvious mistakes... *pout***

**Anyways, please review or PM me to let me know if you liked it! **

**And before I forget this again, THANKS VERY MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO HAS READ, FAVED AND FOLLOWED THIS STORY! **

**And a very special thanks to all those who had reviewed! You make writing this story to the end worthwhile! **


	14. 14: Breakfast Bullying

**Author note below.**

* * *

><p><em>With the sun just setting below the tree line, it was truly a sight to behold. From that spot on the roof one could see the lake and the surrounding forest. The lake glittered with soft red and orange diamonds, the darkness of the forest was significantly softened by the soft color of the light. As the sun continued to set and the color changed, the shadows grew longer, yet it didn't give the frightening effect that one would expect, it just gave the impression of undiscovered mystery.<em>

_The three of them stood there until the last rays of the sun disappeared behind the trees. Then all of them turned away and went back inside. The kids have already been put to bed so all those that were still awake bid each other goodnight and retired to their respective rooms for the night._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 14: Breakfast Bullying<strong>

3 am Sunday morning found Kyoya wide awake and staring at the ceiling above his bed. The Shadow king had been completely unable to fall asleep due to his mind reeling with everything that he had learned in the last 24 hours.

Haruhi's situation bothered him greatly since he knew only a little of the full story and thus could do nothing to help. Scar was also on the forefront of his spinning thoughts. How he had looked so comfortable with all the children and teens and also the way he had so effortlessly handled Angela and kept the Hosts in line. The way all his men look up to him even though he is the youngest of them all – barely 17 years old.

Emancipated or not, Kyoya knew (from experience) that kids in a position of leadership is largely frowned upon and it took a LOT to gain the respect of the people working for you. The fact that every single one of the people in the castle listened to Scar without question showed that he either had plenty of power over them or that he is really, REALLY good at whatever it is that he does and had gained their respect the hard way. Honestly, the second option both intrigued and terrified him.

The thought that Scar had won over the loyalty of world-hardened men using the hard way, was truly a scary thought. What would he have to have done in order for them to give their loyalty so completely and not question his authority?

Turning on his side Kyoya managed to get more and more questions with absolutely no answers. Unfortunately, the only way to _**get **_answers would be to actually ask questions straight out and Kyoya seriously doubted that anyone would give him answers. Even if they did answer him, the fact that he asked questions in the first place would come out to Scar and Kyoya did not want that to happen, so he basically had to do what he always did – sit back and observe every little thing that anyone did while also keeping up with his friends to try and keep them safe.

XXX

* * *

><p>"I hope you have a good reason for bothering me at this ungodly hour kid." A deep grouchy voice came over the video chat, the speaker just out of sight of the camera.<p>

"My apologies for the hour, but I think you both know why I called and why it had to be at such an unusual time." Scar spoke up from where he sat behind a desk on a comfy leather chair.

"Hmph. I'm sure I can make an educated guess. Now say what's on your mind so I can get back to sleep."

"Oh come now, you and I both know you were nowhere near sleeping. Anyway let's talk and get this over with. Despite our differences you have always been honest with me, Alpha. Even with your hate for me and mine you never tried to hide it, so I know I can trust you.

"We have a mole in the ranks. I suspect that you already know that though. I have the Princess in my care currently and her safety is to be my first priority as ordered by the Chief. I can't split myself into multiple pieces, despite popular belief, so I need you to find the one responsible for jeopardizing our missions.

"I have already lost 13 men because of misinformation and cannot afford to lose any more! You have till the end of the week. That is unfortunately the only time I can give you due to my current situation at home, although if you can get it done faster, all the better." Scar frowned as he spoke, concerned with the backlash from losing so many men at a time.

"THIRTEEN MEN! Why haven't you said something sooner? Idiot kid. How many are dead? "

"Seven dead and the other six will never be able to do their jobs again." Scar growled, barely audible. Speaking up again he asked "You do know about the mole then?"

"Yeah I know about the mole and I have been digging around already. I suspect that he isn't working alone though. That amount of misinformation cannot be pulled past so many people without it getting back to the source eventually.

"Hmm, I'll keep looking and see what I can find. Why is the Princess with you? You always said that she would never see you or your world so what changed?" Alpha was curious about that fact because since he had met Scar the kid had been adamant about never letting the Princess see their world.

"If all goes well, Alpha, she will never 'see' me. As for why she's here, it was circumstances beyond my control – her father is in a coma. I know of only the Vipers who could pull off a severe head-wound without killing the victim and they are desperate enough to join forces with the Mad-Hats to get rid of me. This way, the Mad-Hats get leadership and the Vipers have my head on a silver platter." Scar commented dryly.

The branch-heads were none too happy when Scar had been named successor for the Chief. Scar had a hand in nearly all of their failed drug-trades and the busting of their human-trafficking businesses so it was no real surprise that so many of them wanted him dead at any cost.

Alpha shook his head. He knew Scar's little secret due to an unplanned rescue mission. He had saved the brat from certain death one night without really wanting to; after all, there is no love lost between the two of them. Finding out that _particular _secret had given the hardened warrior a healthy respect for the teenager, though he still considered the kid insane but didn't insult him by treating him any different than he normally would.

Sighing, Alpha decided to smoke out the mole and get rid of it as soon as he found even a trace. The Princess was much too important to risk for some stupid rivalry between him and a kid. Scar didn't realize just how much Alpha really knew about him and about the importance of the Princess and Alpha would prefer to keep it that way.

"I heard rumors. About Kurogasa and the Princess, are any of them true?" Alpha tried to subtly make sure that Scar was aware of the impending danger.

"Which ones would you be referring to?" Scar countered the question with one of his own.

Alpha smirked from his perch behind the camera since he knew the kid can't see him. "It involved blackmail. It also involved a very large wedding…" Alpha knew that Scar would know exactly which rumors he was referring to with that.

"Hmm." Scar indeed knew what the older man was talking about. What Scar had trouble understanding, is why Alpha would even care.  
>"I know those. Yeah it's true, for the most part. Kurogasa has it in his head that by forcing her hand; he would get the top spot since she would become his daughter-in-law. However, what he seems to forget, is the fact that his <em>son <em>will get the spot, not him. He thinks that he can control his kid, but he really can't."

Alpha nodded to himself, satisfied that Scar knew of the situation. It seems that the kid still has it, despite the accident and the uncertain months that followed.

"Alright kid. Take care of her and I'll deal with the little rodents. I'll let you know when I found something substantial."

"Please keep me updated even if you don't have good news immediately." Scar requested softly before switching back to his businesslike manner. "I apologize for the missed sleep. Good hunting." Scar closed the conversation and switched off the video-chat.

XXX

* * *

><p>Alpha exhaled harshly as he closed his laptop. A worried frown appeared on his usually expressionless face as the conversation replayed in his mind again. It was curious that Kurogasa would allow something like the power of the Princess to fall into his son's hands; after all, the kid could barely speak in coherent sentences most of the time since he was constantly drunk.<p>

The troubled man thought back to the first night that he had saved Scar. It was around 7 years ago when the kid had only been 10 years old.

_The Chief had called Alpha in a complete panic that was so uncharacteristic of him, that Alpha had jumped into action with only one question '_where?'_ getting the answer, he took off to an abandoned warehouse close to his position._

_Not caring about anything other than his mission, Alpha had killed all of the abductors and found a beaten, bloody mess which he finally identified as a child. Even his hardened heart had trembled when he had realized just what had been done to the poor kid. Shaking his head, Alpha had picked up the small, broken body and took the child to the best doctor he knew of, leaving the child in the doctor's care after extracting a promise from the Ohtori of not telling the child who had helped and not telling anyone the whole truth._

Shaking himself out of the memory, Alpha returned to the problem at hand. Kurogasa was up to something more than the obvious. His son wouldn't really be of any help….

That's IT! The kid was 24 years old and a drunk. Drunks can be manipulated. If the Crazy Hat married the Princess, he will control her, while Kurogasa controls him. It was so OBVIOUS, how had he not thought of that earlier?

Now, what to do about that?...

XXX

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><p>Scar sat back in his chair after his conversation with Alpha. Warily he ran both hands through his hair, revealing the left side of his face. Staring at the odd reflection of his face on the black computer screen, Scar sighed and let his hair fall back into place.<p>

Scar thought back to the letter he had received from the Chief the day before he had found Haruhi in the hospital. In it, he had been given very clear orders that he is to protect Haruhi at all cost and to keep her out of the greedy hands of the other branch-heads. Being the heir to the biggest yakuza group in Japan was never easy.

The dire situation was not lost on the teen. He too was in a position that, technically, he needed protection. Despite that, he still went out into the world to save kids who lived in fear, hurt and terror. But Scar was so different than Haruhi, because he can take care of himself just fine, she can't.

Scar absentmindedly rubbed the small white scar on his wrist, wondering for the millionth time where he could have gotten it. His memory was still only bits and pieces from before he was 8 years old. He could remember some of the pain and the scars still remain, but the actual memories of ages 6 until 10 years were hazy or completely missing in some (if not most) parts. Not to mention that the accident 10 months ago had also affected his memory…

Once again he sighed irritably and glanced at the clock. 5:20 am? Had he really been lost in thought for an HOUR? Well, since it was already so late, he decided to head to the kitchen and see if Bunny needed help with breakfast.

XXX

* * *

><p>While Scar had sat lost in his own thoughts, the blond Host club King had awakened. Tamaki opened his eyes to a strange room that was very clearly not his own, since the sheets were not silk. As he sat up, Tamaki noticed something quite unusual. Kyoya was already awake and dressed for the day.<p>

Tamaki blinked once, twice, the image didn't fade so he was not hallucinating. He turned and looked for his phone to check the time. Only 4:45am? What on earth was Kyoya doing up at this hour? He usually didn't wake until noon.

Kyoya sat in the same position he had been sitting in since 45minutes prior. He had gotten about 20 minutes of rest, not true sleep, when he had once more woken up to more questions buzzing in his head. Unable to fall back asleep, Kyoya had decided that he might as well get up and get dressed.

It took a little while before Kyoya even became aware of the fact that Tamaki had also woken up and was still staring at him. With an inward sigh Kyoya turned to his best friend.

"Morning."

"Kyoya? Why are you up so early? It's not even 5am yet." Tamaki said in an uncharacteristically soft voice.

"I couldn't sleep. Too much has happened." Kyoya answered truthfully.

Tamaki nodded. He could understand the confusion; after all, he had had a rough day himself.

"So, since we're up, do you want to get some breakfast?" Tamaki asked sort of timidly.

Kyoya stared a little while before answering. "Only if someone is awake at this hour to help make it. I don't know about you, but I don't know the first thing about cooking." He admitted without batting an eye.

Tamaki smiled his bright smile and hopped off the bed to get dressed as well. Kyoya sighed softly; he could really use some very strong coffee right about then. When Tamaki bounced back into the room they agreed to breakfast or if no one was up, at least a cup of coffee, after all, how hard could be to turn on a kettle?

What neither teen knew was that a rather large surprise awaited them on the stairs. Thus, completely oblivious to what was coming they walked out of their shared room and on the way to the stairs.

Tamaki was the first to reach the stairs and so the first to see the VERY large grey wolf standing on the staircase as though he belonged there. The Host club King froze on the spot, unable to tear his eyes away from the glaring eyes of the seemingly hungry wolf.

"What are you staring pipsqueak?"

"EEEYYYYAAA! IT TALKS!" Tamaki jumped behind Kyoya the second he realized that the wolf was _speaking in an understandable language._ Kyoya's face drained of all color when he saw just what had triggered his insane best friend's over-the-top reaction that was clearly not so over the top this time.

A second, smaller wolf came from one of the rooms and took in the situation before she realized that her mate was growling at the humans and obviously scaring the poor things half to death.

"Now darling, stop growling, can't you see you're scaring the poor dears?" She affectionately rubbed her head below her mate's as she spoke.

"GGYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Tamaki screamed again as he practically dug his nails into Kyoya's shoulder, simultaneously trying to see the wolves while wanting to hide behind Kyoya. Unfortunately his screaming only angered the large grey wolf. Luckily, Scar came around the corner from his office at that moment.

"Oh hey Shadow, Snow. What are you guys doing inside at this time of the morning? I thought we were meeting later?" Scar said, completely ignoring the rich-kids still standing on the stairs staring at the talking wolves.

"Thank you for shutting him up." The large grey, obviously he had to be 'Shadow' since the other was a pure white, only her nose and eyes were a different color.

"Yeah Boss, we weren't supposed to meet until later, but there is something we thought you should know sooner rather than later." Snow said then asked if they could talk alone.

"Does this have something to do with why you two weren't with the pack yesterday morning?" Scar had to cover all bases. Shadow nodded in the affirmative and Scar knew it had to be something big so he led them to his office, leaving behind two very confused teenagers.

XXX

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><p>Takumi and Rex had come running when Tamaki screamed, but did not make themselves known until Scar and the wolves had left. Takumi coughed lightly to announce their arrival, making Tamaki nearly jump into Kyoya's arms.<p>

Takumi couldn't help but laugh at the jittery blond. He put a friendly hand on both teen's shoulders and led them to the kitchen. Bunny was already up and busy chopping toppings. She briefly looked up to greet them before turning back to her work.

Rex joined Bunny in her chopping; it seemed that omelets were on the menu for breakfast for those who didn't want cereal. Breakfast wasn't for another two hours though, so only the chopping had to be done, otherwise the food would be cold long before anyone could touch it.

Takumi took Kyoya and Tamaki to the other side of the kitchen and quietly spoke to the still-shocked teens.

"Don't worry about the wolves. Did you notice the collars they were wearing?" At the nods, Takumi continued, "Those collars are the reason they can speak. Scar, Daichi and Rex had created those exactly for that purpose. Now the wolves' speech is translated into understandable language for the rest of us, although Scar never needed any help to understand them."

The last part was muttered mostly to himself, but both Tamaki and Kyoya heard him. Rex shook his head at Takumi. Nobody needs to know anything that they did at the Castle, because the rich kids would be leaving in six days and had no right to know anything so private.

XXX

* * *

><p>"So? What happened?" Scar asked as soon as the door closed behind the three of them. The serious tone that Shadow had used when asking to speak to him had him concerned.<p>

"We know that you are busy, but we thought you should know that the Fox had been on the property last night, and early this morning he was seen with a group 15 people heading to the tree and the hidden cave. We don't know what they are up to. Last report we got, they haven't found the entrance, but it could just be a matter of time."

Scar's expression became positively murderous at the news. Had that guy not learned his lesson? Despite their fight the night before, how can that, that, _thing _just decide to trespass on his property _again?_

"That's not all." Snow took over the explanation after Scar took a few deep breaths. "They brought dogs. Sight-hunters mostly, a few cross-breeds. Nothing we can't handle, but I thought you should know. Our dogs are all fine, as is the new one. Please be careful Pup, we cannot afford to lose you as well."

With that, Snow turned and left the room through the window to get back to her post. Shadow watched his mate walk away with trepidation twisting in his gut. He did not like the fact that she is not where he can see and protect her.

Scar took another calming breath before he spoke the one sentence that Shadow had been waiting for.

"We're going hunting."

XXX

* * *

><p>By 7am, everyone was awake and all the regular inhabitants of the Castle were up and getting ready for breakfast. The first down was Setsuka and Shizuka, always the early risers. They gave only a sideways glance to Tamaki and Kyoya, greeting only Bunny and asking politely for omelets.<p>

Eiji and Angela followed shortly afterwards, followed quickly by all the rest (sans Hosts). All requested omelets for breakfast so Eiji and Angela helped to make it, since Rex had finished the chopping. Just as the last one was finished, the Hosts walked in with Emmy-chan clinging to Haruhi's hand.

Angela tensed but didn't look at any of them. After the scene the previous day, most of the Hosts were much more subdued, except of course Hikaru. Seeing the girl who had dared to argue with him the night before, he immediately set about trying to annoy her. Unfortunately, he had the wrong twin in his sight.

Shizuka froze as the red-head approached her. She could see the malicious spark in his eyes and had no idea what to do. Setsuka was currently on the other side of the kitchen and Scar was nowhere to be seen. Her breathing sped up and she started shaking lightly, but as always, Hikaru paid no mind to anything except what he wanted and at that moment he wanted to argue just for the heck of it.

Kaoru noticed a little too late that Hikaru had approached the wrong twin, but he was way too late to stop his brother from physically getting too close, so he took the risk and yelled, knowing that he might scare some of the others as well, but he didn't really give it more than a passing thought. The thought on the forefront of his mind was the tears and obvious fear on the girl's face the day before, and the unexplainable want to protect her from it.

"Hikaru DON'T! It's the wrong twin!" Kaoru shouted, panic obvious in his voice. Everybody in the kitchen jumped at the sudden shout, but Setsuka had chosen that moment to turn around and saw what was happening a second before Kaoru shouted.

"NO!" Setsuka ran for all she was worth, knowing that she would be too late; Shizuka had already retreated into her mind, making her body react on instinct and not thought. A silver flash made everyone freeze on the spot.

Hikaru's pained scream caused the Rex, Takumi and Mori to react immediately. Rex went to grab Shizuka, who was already reaching for the knife on her other side and he had to be careful not to hurt her or get hurt in the process.

Takumi and Mori raced for Hikaru, to see how bad the damage is and to pull him away from Shizuka. Setsuka had regained her ability to move and ran to find the only person that Shizuka would react to now. She knew that for whatever reason, Shizuka never reacted to her presence in times like these, only to Scar.

It turned out that Hikaru had been stabbed with a fork and not a knife as Takumi had feared. That was good, Shizuka had not started eating yet, so the fork would have been clean and fork-wounds were _much _easier to deal with than knife wounds.

"It's alright people, it was only a fork." Takumi addressed the others in the kitchen.

"What the hell do you mean 'o_nly a fork'_? That little ***** stabbed me! I will have her thrown in prison for this! How dare she harm me?!" Hikaru continued yelling and cursing the air blue, doing exactly what Tamaki had done: scaring the kids in the room without a care to them, only for himself.

Kaoru decided that enough was enough. Yes he was worried about his brother getting stabbed, but even he could tell that it wasn't all that bad, since the fork had barely broken the skin. Kaoru walked over to Hikaru, but instead of crying over him or ranting or trying to comfort him like the Hosts expected, Kaoru slapped him, hard.

Hikaru immediately shut up from pure shock of having anybody, let alone _Kaoru _hit him. He couldn't understand what had made Kaoru of all people mad enough to slap him.

"You selfish, ignorant, uncaring b******! If you had been paying attention to more than just yourself, you would have noticed that you were approaching the wrong twin! If you had been _paying attention_, you would have seen that she was scared of you! Have you not paid attention to _anything_ that had happened yesterday?" Kaoru was breathing heavily at the end of his tirade and a few tears escaped his disappointment-filled eyes as he looked at Hikaru.

All the Hosts gaped in shock and surprise as Kaoru yelled at Hikaru and walked over to where Rex had gently restrained Shizuka, asking if there was something he could do to help. Rex told him to clear a path so that Shizuka's kicking wouldn't harm anyone else.

As they reached the door, Setsuka ran back in, fear obvious on her face.

"I can't find Scar." She was breathing heavily and had tears of absolute terror for her sister running down her face.

"I'm here." Scar rushed in, he had blood on his clothes, but he didn't care about that. Shizuka was still kicking to get free, but Rex held steady. "Put her down." Scar ordered when he stood right in front of them.

Rex gently put the struggling girl down and Scar immediately put his hands on both sides of her face, noticing the vacant look in her eyes. "Look at me. Come on sweetheart, please look at me." Scar practically begged. "Come now, I know you can see me. Please look at me." Scar stared at Shizuka as she stopped fighting.

"It's ok. He can't hurt you anymore. You are safe here, with me. Do you believe me?" Scar still spoke softly. Shizuka slowly came to, as though coming out of a daze and nodded at the question. Scar smiled and gently pulled Shizuka into a hug, giving her plenty of chance to pull away if she wanted to.

Shizuka grabbed ahold of Scar's blood-stained shirt with a grip that wouldn't let go for a long time. For a few seconds they just stood there before Shizuka broke into sobs, wracking her whole body. Scar turned and led the sobbing girl and her concerned twin out to his room.

XXX

* * *

><p>Rex lightly shook his head at the ease with which Scar can handle the kids. Then again, it probably shouldn't surprise him too much. Scar could personally relate to their circumstances and he spends so much time building a close relationship with the kids; learning what their triggers are and how to calm them etc. etc.<p>

Takumi had used the distraction to pull Hikaru out of the kitchen to the room they have turned into a sort of infirmary. Mori and Kyoya had followed to keep an eye on their friend. Hikaru was still ranting about the audacity of that girl to harm a Hittachin, even after his _own brother_ had hit him for his inconsideration.

Takumi mentally beat the redhead to a bloody speck on the ground for his self-centeredness. When he pulled out the fork, he was as rough as possible while looking like he was trying his best to be gentle. Mori noticed, but didn't say anything. He could understand the older man's feelings quite well.

Kyoya, even though he was in the room, was deep in thought about the scene in the kitchen and, of course, Scar. Setsuka had said that she couldn't find him, so how had he known to come to the kitchen? Not to mention, where did all that blood come from? It couldn't possibly have come from the wolves, they seemed too close for Scar to wish to harm any of them, and those two had stopped Scar from harming Sunny the day before, so they could obviously take Scar if a fight broke out.

Kyoya shook his head, determined not to think of all the confusing questions anymore and tried to focus on Hikaru and his injury.

"He should be taken to a hospital where he could receive professional care." Kyoya spoke up when he saw the rough way that Takumi was working with Hikaru. Takumi only gave him a _look_ and turned back to his work without bothering to answer the Ohtori. Yuichi had been a classmate of Takumi's in med-school, so he knew a lot about Kyoya from Yuichi. Even so, he kept his mouth shut and didn't give any indication that he knew him so well.

Hikaru complained loudly about the rough treatment until Takumi finally couldn't take it anymore and snapped at him.

"Listen here you ungrateful piece of ****. Either you shut that hole on face and show some respect for your betters or I will _purposely_ make this wound get infected and I will _personally _make sure that you die in the most _painful_ manner that an infected wound can cause. Do I make myself _clear, BOY_?" The last sentence was hissed out between clenched teeth.

Hikaru immediately shut his mouth because he could see the pure hatred in the older man's eyes. Even he was not so stupid as to think that the guy was making an idle threat. Mori showed nothing but a blank expression on his face, but he was very disturbed at the threat. The people who lived and worked with Scar and the kids didn't seem like the type of people who are _able_ make idle threats; that fact greatly disturbed him.

Kyoya was also put on high-alert after that threat. After what he had seen and heard of the seven obvious fighters in the mansion, (Takumi, Scar, Daichi, Michio, Hajime, Rex and Kei), they were not people to take lightly for any reason. Every one of them were dangerous and thus a threat to him and all of his friends. Kyoya's mind worked overtime to try to figure out how to protect his friends. The obvious answer would be to get out of there as fast as possible, but somehow, Kyoya did not think that that would be an option at all.

Daichi chose that moment to walk in. He had heard what Takumi had threatened to do and could only shake his head at the hothead. Takumi was usually the calmest out of them all, but when it came to Scar and the kids, he was particularly short-tempered. Daichi quietly caught Kyoya's attention and led him out of the room, leaving Mori to oversee the last of Hikaru's treatment. Once out of earshot, Daichi spoke up.

"There is no need to be concerned about what Takumi had said in there, he would never intentionally hurt someone."

"I disagree. He was unnecessarily rough with Hikaru's treatment. Does he even know what he is doing? I would feel better if he was taken to a hospital for proper treatment." Kyoya spoke without trying to sound nice.

"Takumi might not look like it, but he is a qualified doctor. As for the threats," Daichi let out a deep sigh before speaking again. "He is very overprotective of Scar and the kids, so please, try to keep your friends in line and out of trouble if it is at all within your power. Takumi won't really hurt him, but he might lock him up in the basement or do what Scar did yesterday to your blond friend."

Kyoya was still not convinced, but he nodded anyway. Somehow he would get a background check on all of the people he and his friends were currently dealing with.

XXX

* * *

><p>Back in the kitchen, things had calmed down remarkably quickly after the fiasco with Hikaru and Shizuka. Angela had only relaxed slightly after Hikaru was removed, but she still didn't come near any of the hosts. Little Aiko had started wailing which had set off Isamu as well.<p>

Kei had grabbed Isamu and took him out of the room after he pushed Hani towards the wailing four-year old. Hani was a little frozen. He hadn't the slightest idea how to calm a crying, screaming child. Haruhi spoke up softly from behind him, urging him to just hug her. She would do it herself, but Emmy-chan was still attached to her one had, refusing to let go.

Hani still felt uncertain as he approached Aiko, but steeled his resolve and gently hugged her, allowing plenty of room if she wanted to pull away. To his great surprise, she only held on tighter and stopped screaming, though she still sniffled occasionally.

Bunny and Michio shared a secret smile as they watched the drama before them play out into a cavity-worthy sweet scene. Bunny gave Hani a bottle of vitamin-supplement in liquid form for Aiko. He only looked at the bottle in confusion until Aiko herself grabbed the bottle from his hand.

Eiji gave a relieved little laugh before stating jokingly "Well, at least we're all awake now." At which Hajime and Michio only glared at him.

Eiji gulped, "Um, how about breakfast then?" The hopeful way he spoke made Bunny and Sunny laugh before they continued what they were doing before the whole drama started.

When they had all calmed down, breakfast was resumed without those who left the room.

XXX

* * *

><p>Scar gently cradled the crying Shizuka in his arms as Setsuka sat beside him on the queen-sized bed with her head on Scar's shoulder. The earlier incident in the kitchen had brought back all of the fear and old pain and shame from their earlier childhood.<p>

Scar didn't say anything for a long while. He only held Shizuka until the worst of her sobbing calmed down a little. He wasn't all that worried about Setsuka at the moment since he knew that her worst fear was more for her sister than for herself.

"Shizuka," Scar gently called for her attention; she only gave a slight nod to indicate that she had heard, but didn't make a sound.

"I am so very proud of you right now." Scar spoke into her hair as he softly rested his head on top of hers.

"Why would you be proud of me? I stabbed the guy with a fork! A friggen FORK!" Shizuka was clearly still distraught about the whole ordeal, which was why her head snapped up when she felt Scar shaking and suddenly bursting out into laughter. She wanted to feel mad that he was laughing at her, but she was so astonished at the fact that he was _laughing_ and not scolding her that she could only sit there in stunned silence.

Setsuka tried, she really did try to keep her laughter in, but seeing Scar crack up and her twin's face was just too much. She too, burst out laughing.

When Scar got himself under control, he explained his reasons.

"I am proud of you, because you didn't run. I am proud of you for defending yourself instead of just standing by. The fact that your weapon of choice was a fork was just a hilarity-bonus."

Shizuka stilled as she thought back to the incident. In retrospect she could clearly see Hikaru coming at her, looking like he wanted to hurt her, she could feel clearly the fear in her heart and she could see the way her hand automatically felt behind her for a weapon to defend herself with.

Now that she was calming down, Shizuka could see what she had failed to see before due to the shock: She had defended herself. She didn't cower away or let him get too close, she fought back. She fought back!

She raised her eyes to Scar's smiling face and she could see the pride and the understanding in his eyes. Impulsively, Shizuka hugged the person who had always supported her and took care of her, yet never asked for anything. Setsuka looked between the two and realized something she had tried to ignore until now, Scar was becoming more important to Shizuka than her, and she felt left-out until a slender hand pulled her into the hug. Looking at Scar's face, she could see the understanding in his eyes

and it _hurt_.

Shizuka looked on in stunned amazement as Setsuka broke down right in front of her eyes. Setsuka began shaking, trying to hold in her tears, but she couldn't and she began sobbing in earnest. Scar made a motion with his head to Shizuka, telling her to take care of her sister; not because he couldn't or didn't want to, but he understood that Setsuka felt like she was losing her sister to him and that she needed Shizuka's reassurance, not his. Even so, he didn't leave; he just made room for Shizuka to switch places with him.

Scar gave Shizuka a grateful smile as they swapped places on the large bed. The scene in the kitchen and the aftermath with Shizuka's breakdown had not only brought bad memories for the twins, but also for Scar. Scar let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding when Shizuka had hugged him. Shizuka had become remarkably good at sensing Scar's moods so she knew that he needed the hug.

After some time, Setsuka had cried herself to sleep and Shizuka sat running her hands lightly through her sister's hair. She looked up at Scar, who had become very quiet.

"You should change." She commented softly, to not wake her sister.

"Hm?" Scar pulled out of his thoughts and looked down at his blood-splattered clothing. With a grimace, he got up and grabbed some clothes to get a shower and change. Before closing the door to the en-suite bathroom, he gave a small smile and a grateful _'thanks'._

Shizuka kept running her hand through Setsuka's waist-length hair as she waited for Scar to finish. She didn't pay much attention when Scar led her out of the kitchen, but now she saw that she was also covered in blood. A frown marred her pretty face as she wondered what had happened this time. It wasn't the first time that she saw Scar covered in blood, but she knew what had happened sometimes in the past for Scar to look like that and she was worried. _ 'What happened this time?'_

XXX

* * *

><p>'<em>I'm sorry Shizuka; I didn't' want you to see me like this again.' <em>Scar barely glanced at the bloodied shirt before tossing it into the garbage bin in the bathroom – kept there for that exact reason. With a sigh, Scar took a knife from the top shelf in a hidden cabinet. It only took one clean slice to make the bandages around Scar's torso fall away. Scar breathed deeply just to feel the ever-elusive feeling of freedom.

The bandages and pants joined the shirt in the garbage before Scar finally stepped under the strong spray of the shower. Scar decided to take his time, hoping that the girls would both be asleep by the time he finished.

Shizuka had always been very perceptive for her age, sometimes scarily so, and Scar didn't feel like answering questions at the moment. Especially not with those memories assaulting him from all angles, reminding him what he had been forced to become. Remembering things from his past was never easy and always left him moody and at times violent. There was no need to scare the kids. They had been through enough.

The morning's hunt went well. The wolves had managed to round up all but one of the trespassers. Scar had some fun with them before allowing the wolves to tear them apart. Of course, the bodies had to be hidden, thus all the blood. Nonetheless, watching and at times assisting in the killing of men had always left Scar feeling dirty, empty and just completely out of sorts.

The water scalded the multiple scars all over his body, but Scar paid no mind to the pain. The physical pain merely allowed him to focus on the here-and-now instead of the blood threatening to take over all of his senses otherwise. After standing under the scalding water for 10 minutes, Scar turned the water to its coldest before scrubbing the blood off of him.

A quick rubdown was followed by a search for more bandages. Pulling on a clean pair of pants, Scar combed through all the hidden cabinets luckily finding enough spare bandages to wrap up his torso again. No need to let anyone who didn't already know in on his biggest secret.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey all! I apologize for the yearlong wait... Not to be making excuses or anything, but I have completely lost my train of thought on this story and suffered from <em>major<em> writer's block. I tried writing other stuff to get my creative juices going (failed epically) and I have tried just writing through it - thus this chapter, short as it might be.**

**I am not completely happy with it, but hopefully it helps to console all my readers that I am doing my best to pick up this story again. I WILL finish it, I just have no idea when...**

**Oh yeah, I changed Scar's age from 15 to 17 years old - after re-reading the whole thing, I realized that 15 is completely unrealistic (even keeping in mind that this is a _fictional_ story).**

**Thanks to all of you for being so patient! ^.^**

**Kitty**

ps: If you have any suggestions, feel free to let me know, I could really use a little inspirational boost :-p


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